MORE than 155,000 journeys were made by golf fans on the Merseyrail network to travel to and from The Open, which took place near Hoylake on the Wirral peninsula in July 2023.
 

All lines on the network saw an increase in passenger numbers as people from across the globe descended on the course to see the best golfers in the world vie for the greatest prize in the sport.
 

The network saw an average increase of around 20,000 extra journeys each day during the 8-day event, which started with the 1st practice on Sunday, 16 July 2023 and ran through until the final on Sunday, 23 July 2023.
 

Merseyrail ran a special timetable for the event, with a 10-minute service running between Hoylake station and Liverpool City Centre from Wednesday, 19 July to Sunday, 23 July 2023.
 

And many golf fans were massively impressed with not only the timetable of trains but also the superb customer service offered by Merseyrail staff on trains and at stations. The train company even laid on entertainment at Hoylake station in the form of stilt walkers and a living statue.
 

Merseyrail also hosted the prestigious Claret Jug in Liverpool Central station the week before the event started, helping to get the region into the celebratory mood.
 

Jane English, acting Managing Director of Merseyrail, said:- “Yet again Merseyrail delivered a fantastic experience on an international stage for the thousands of passengers who travelled on our services during the week. It was great to receive such positive feedback about the event organisation and the service we provided, including from many of our international passengers. We were also able to showcase the new Class 777 trains in passengers service for the first time on the West Kirby Line.

“I’d also like to say thank you to our customers on the Wirral for their patience and support of Merseyrail staff during the event. Some changes to timetables where needed to ensure that the network could cope with an event of this size, and we are really grateful for the understanding of those who were disrupted.”