London Midland has advised people to plan before they travel this Black Friday. Over 250,000 people used Birmingham New St last year.

Last weekend saw the opening of the Birmingham Christmas Market.

Crowd Control will be in use at the busier times at Birmingham New Street station.

It is vital that you know the times of the last few trains home. Please do not rely on the last train home.

Extra staff will be on hand if you need any assistance.

What did the officials say?

Patrick Power, Network Rail’s station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “The Christmas market, Black Friday weekend and festive season are great for Birmingham but put significant pressure on the station to safely manage much higher passenger numbers and sudden surges of people trying to catch their train. While there is more than enough space to handle the expected crowds on the concourse, we have to be prepared to put queuing measures in place to get to the platform areas, should we need to. Our advice to passengers is allow extra time to make your train, don’t rely on your last service and check before you travel. There will be extra staff in place across the station to provide advice and information and help keep passengers safe.”

Train Operating Companies

Natasha Grice, the general manager for Virgin Trains in the West Midlands, said: “The train really is the best way to get into Birmingham and take in the atmosphere of the Christmas Market. Our team will be on hand to help the record numbers expected to attend this year and we’d encourage everyone to plan ahead to ensure they make the most of their day.”

London Midland‘s general manager for the West Midlands, Mark Goodall, said: “We want everyone to enjoy visiting Birmingham this Christmas. As trains are expected to be much busier than usual over the next few weeks, our advice is to plan your travel options in advance and don’t rely on your last train home or you could be disappointed.”

Lynne Milligan, customer services director at Arriva Trains Wales, said: “Birmingham Christmas market is a real highlight for visitors, many of whom are customers on our services. We will be working hard to ensure as many trains as possible are in operation, however, some services are likely to be very busy so we would urge customers to plan their journeys carefully in advance to ensure they enjoy the festivities.”

• Visit the London Midland Website
  For more information