Grand National 2024: Road closures and travel advice for Aintree Racecourse, including extra train services

Thousands of visitors will descend on Sefton and Liverpool this week for the world famous Grand National Festival, which runs over three days at Aintree Racecourse. Starting on Thursday (April 11), a series of races will take place and Ladies Day will return on Friday (April 12). The main steeplechase will return on Saturday (April 13).

Merseyside Police, Merseytravel and Sefton Council are working together to create as little disruption across the borough as possible throughout the event, and help racegoers get to and from Aintree smoothly throughout the weekend.

Extra Merseyrail services will be running to and from Aintree, however, motorists and bus users may be affected by road closures and diversions. Here is everything you need to know about travelling to Aintree Racecourse.

- Everything you need to know about the Grand National 2024

Road closures and diversions for the Grand National 2024

Road closures and diversions will be in place from Thursday, April 9 until Saturday April, 13 2024.

• Melling Road will be closed at the junction of Seeds Lane to junction of Aintree Lane until 22:00 on Saturday.
• Seeds Lane, Melling Road and Greenwich Road will be closed daily from 07:00 - 21:00 - residents access only.
• Local residents not attending the festival are advised to avoid the A59 Ormskirk Road from Switch Island through to the Black Bull junction.
• Ormskirk Road, as well as Park Lane between Bridle Road and Ormskirk Road, will be closed between 16:00 and 21:00 on all three festival days. Heavy traffic is expected on the A59 from 10:00 – 14:00. During the closure, traffic will be diverted via Switch Island, Dunnings Bridge Road, Netherton Way and Southport Road.

A number of bus services will be diverted. Full details are available here.

Merseyrail train services for the Grand National 2024

A seven-and-a-half-minute service will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations at the following times on April 11, 12 and 13.

• Liverpool City Centre to Aintree, from approximately 11:00 – 13:00 (before the races) 
• Aintree to Liverpool City Centre, from approximately 16:30 – 20:30 (after the races) 

To accommodate these extra services, other lines will be slightly amended throughout the three day festival:

• Ormskirk Line: Trains will run to a slightly amended 15-minute timetable. Stations between Liverpool City Centre and Ormskirk will have a 15-minute service. However, to enable extra trains to operate, Aughton Park station and Town Green station will be served by a 30-minute service. 
• Southport Line: Trains will run to a slightly amended 15-minute timetable. Arrival and departure times will be different to the normal timetable.
• Headbolt Lane Line: Services between 11:00 and 14:00 and between 17:00 and 21:00 will start and terminate at Sandhills. Customers for Moorfields or Liverpool Central, or those making the return journey to Rice Lane, Fazakerley, Kirkby, or Headbolt Lane will have to change at Sandhills during these times.  
• Wirral Line: All services will run to the normal timetable. Customers travelling to the festival from any Wirral line stations are advised to change at Moorfields for an Aintree-bound train. 

Merseyrail advises that customers should check the journey planner or Merseyrail app for up-to-date departure times before travelling. 

Buses services for the Grand National 2024

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