Golf fans travelling to The Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time to make sure they can get to and from the event.
We are working closely with local partners including rail and bus operators, Merseyside Police, Wirral Council and event organisers to help ensure that everybody’s journeys to and from the course are as easy and safe as possible.
Royal Liverpool Golf Course in Hoylake is hosting this year’s event for the 13th time. It will take place between July 16 and 23 and is expected to bring in a record 260,000 people to Hoylake.
We want everyone to enjoy this fantastic occasion, so we’ve worked with transport operators and partners to put arrangements in place to help make sure people can travel around - getting fans to the events and home safely and smoothly is a big part of the experience.
In return, we’re asking people to follow our top tips and plan their journeys – you can find all the information below.
Whether you are travelling to enjoy the golf, commuting to work or taking the family out for a day trip, key information and advice is now available to help you plan your journeys.
Plan ahead – We expect services on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line to be busier than usual across the week of the championship.
Check timetables – Make sure to do this ahead of and on your day of travel in case there are any changes – in particular check last bus and train times. Merseytravel and operators will use social media to publish changes made at short notice.
Leave plenty of time – Some journeys might take longer than usual or be subject to delay or changes at short notice – so whether attending the event or not please be aware of the plans and changes.
Consider your options – The transport network is expected to be busier than usual. Think about staggering your travel home times and have a plan B in case you can’t get the service you planned for. In particular, don’t wait for the last scheduled train or bus home as these can often be very busy.
If possible buy travel tickets in advance and online – This will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day.
Arrive early at the station, stop or ferry terminal in good time – This is to avoid disappointment as there may be queues.
Consider multi modal ticket - such as Saveaways as these will give you more options
Be patient – there will be lots of people travelling for the events
Please be kind and respectful to transport staff – Remember that they are working really hard to get you to where you need to be. Let’s make this event fun and be proud of our region!
A summary of transport information can be found below. For the most detailed and up-to-date guidance, people should regularly check operator websites and social media channels as these services are subject to last minute changes.
In planning for the relevant events some additional services have been added to the rail network to ensure people can travel to and home from the event safely.
Merseyrail
The Merseyrail network links Liverpool city centre with many areas of the wider region, including Wirral, Knowsley, South Liverpool and Sefton. It operates trains to the closest station to Royal Liverpool Golf Club – Hoylake.
Merseyrail will be operating an enhanced service on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line across the week. You can find full details of the service levels on the Merseyrail website.
@merseyrail – www.merseyrail.org
Lime Street / Mainline Services
Note that there is an RMT strike on Thursday 20 and Saturday 22 July. This does not affect Merseyrail services, but will affect mainline services provided by Avanti, Northern and other operators serving Lime Street station and Chester.
Before travelling check rail operator websites and Twitter accounts for more information
@northernassist - www.northernrailway.co.uk
@TPEassist - www.tpexpress.co.uk
@avantiwestcoast - www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk
@LNRailway - www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
@eastmidrailway - www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk
@NetworkRailLIV - www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/our-stations/liverpool-lime-street
Arriva and Stagecoach operate bus services in Wirral, offering another way to get to the course.
Throughout the championship, there will also be a park and ride service available. Full details of this can be found on the Wirral Council website. This park and ride will be available throughout the event, with parking facilities in New Brighton, with easy access to the motorway.
Check bus operator websites and social media accounts for up-to-date schedule information.
@arrivanorthwest - www.arrivabus.co.uk
If you live nearby or are staying local, walking and cycling will be some of the healthiest quickest and easiest ways to get around.
Please help us by walking or cycling if you can, to ease some pressure on transport services and keep our air clean.
If you are staying in Liverpool City Centre during the event, E-scooters and E-bikes operated by Voi are available for hire throughout Liverpool and can be located and unlocked by downloading the Voi app. E-scooters are available to hire in the city centre and surrounding areas as well as key transport hubs and hospitals.
The iconic Mersey Ferries offer a great option for cross-river travel – with regular commuter services each weekday morning and evening, alongside River Explorer Cruises during the day.
You can find out more details on the Mersey Ferries website.
Liverpool is connected to the world via John Lennon International Airport, which is less than 20 mins drive from the city centre.
Several regular bus services to Liverpool city centre operate from outside the terminal building, including the Arriva 500 service.
Manchester Airport is less than 1-hour drive from Liverpool City Centre and is served by its own train station, with services operating from here to Manchester Piccadilly and some Liverpool stations.
Up-to-date information about flights and how to travel to the city from either airport can be found on their websites.
The Wallasey (Kingsway) and Birkenhead (Queensway) are cross-river road options to get from Liverpool to Wirral, with the Wallasey Tunnel providing the best link to the Royal Liverpool golf course. AA traffic signage will direct all traffic to use Kingsway during the event.
Please note - due to an on-going comprehensive lighting upgrade scheme, the Birkenhead Tunnel is closed from 9pm to 6:30am each evening. This is not expected to impact the event.
Check Merseytravel social media channels for most up-to-date information on both tunnels.
