Liverpool Council has officially approved plans to significantly extend the queuing area at Sandhills station, a move intended to alleviate the severe congestion faced by Everton supporters travelling to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The decision, reached at the second attempt earlier this week, comes five years after the stadium was first granted planning permission, sparking questions over the delay in essential infrastructure upgrades.
The approved scheme will see the station’s queuing capacity increase by 150%, providing space for an additional 2,000 fans. Simon Crawshaw, the council’s principal major projects planning officer, warned the committee that the current site is no longer sufficient to manage passenger safety, stating that the extension is vital to preventing dangerous overcrowding.
While the necessity of these upgrades was identified during the stadium’s initial planning phase in 2021, the delivery of the improvements has taken half a decade. Officials have attributed this protracted timeline to the complex requirements of ensuring “best value” for taxpayers. Sources indicate that while there was an immediate desire to improve the fan experience, the project required lengthy negotiations between designers, contractors, and multiple public partners to finalise the scheme before public funds could be committed.
The upgrades are part of a broader transport strategy, originally assessed by Mott Macdonald in 2020, to handle the influx of supporters to the new waterfront ground. Around 20,000 rail journeys are currently made to and from the stadium on matchdays, with up to 11,000 fans using the station before kick-off. Despite these high volumes, Merseyrail has noted that infrastructure constraints—specifically Network Rail’s current signalling system—limit the number of services they can operate.
The push for action was accelerated following a public letter from the Everton Fan Advisory Board (FAB), which highlighted deep frustration regarding current matchday travel conditions. This led to a meeting between fan representatives, transport providers, and Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
During discussions, Mayor Rotheram emphasised that there is no “magic wand” to resolve the station’s limitations, reminding stakeholders that Sandhills is not under the direct control of the local authority. He insisted that regional leaders are doing everything within their power to manage the situation, adding that the goal is to continue “squeezing” as much capacity as possible out of the existing infrastructure.
The council’s decision comes on the heels of the recent installation of a new matchday footbridge at the station, a project that was fast-tracked ahead of its original target date. As the city continues to navigate the logistical challenges of hosting thousands of visitors, officials maintain that the scheme will be refined as partners learn from ongoing supporter feedback.
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