Plan your travel and transport

Grand National Festival Seven-and-a-half-minute Timetable

Merseyrail will run a special timetable for the Grand National Festival in April, with a seven-and-a-half-minute frequency of service running between Liverpool City Centre and Aintree station before the start and after the finish of the races on each day of the festival.

They aim to provide the best possible service to those attending the festival, which takes place from Thursday 13 April until Saturday 15 April.

Passengers planning to travel between the 13-15 April will be advised to plan their journey in advance using the journey planner on Merseyrail’s website to understand how the changes affect their journey.

For regular up to date information please check here.

On all three days, a seven-and-a-half-minute service will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations at the following times:

• From approximately 11:00 – 14:00 (before the races)
• From approximately 17:00 – 20:48 (after the races)

Ormskirk line: Stations between Liverpool city centre and Ormskirk will have a normal 15-minute service. However, to allow the extra trains to operate, Aughton Park station and Town Green station will have a 30-minute service. Trains to Liverpool will not call at Orrell Park station between 16:30 to 21:00. Passengers should check the journey planner on Merseyrail’s website or the Merseyrail app for up-to-date departure times before travelling.

Southport line: Trains will run to a slightly amended 15-minute timetable. Passengers should check the journey planner on Merseyrail’s website or the Merseyrail app for up-to-date departure times before travelling.

Kirkby line: Some services between 10:00 and 21:00 will start and terminate at Sandhills. Passengers for Moorfields or Liverpool Central, or those making the return journey to Rice Lane, Fazakerley or Kirkby, may have to change at Sandhills. Services operated by Northern from Kirkby to Wigan Wallgate will be a rail-replacement bus service, with the last bus leaving Kirkby station at 19:20 each evening.

Wirral line: All services to run to the normal timetable. Passengers travelling to the festival from any Wirral line stations are advised to change at Moorfields for an Aintree-bound train.

Aintree can be reached by bus on services: 300, 310 and 345 both to and from Liverpool.

For further information on bus routes, visit Merseytravel or call 0151 236 7676.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the nearest airport to the racecourse and is a 20-minute drive by road.

Alternatively, take a bus to Liverpool South Parkway Merseyrail station where you can catch a train to Aintree [change at Liverpool Central or Moorfields onto the Ormskirk train].

The journey takes approximately 1 hour. Manchester Airport is approximately a 45-minute drive by road.

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