-
DfT working
with industry, football authorities and British Transport
Police to deliver more flexible ticketing and safer trains for
fans.
- Rail Minister to meet all partners shortly to drive forward
potential trials on match days as quickly as possible.
- Focus on improved affordability and security aimed at
encouraging more people to use the railways.
A fairer and more flexible deal for football fans who are
affected when matches are rapidly rescheduled is “within reach”,
Rail Minister announced today (14 February
2019).
The Department for Transport has reached an agreement with
football authorities, British Transport Police (BTP) and the Rail Delivery
Group (RDG),
representing train companies and Network Rail, that will see the
Premier League working with the industry to create a package of
measures aimed at improving the railways for all users on match
days.
It will focus on encouraging more people to travel by train to
football games, and will also ensure that passengers should not
have to pay more for their train tickets in the event a match is
rescheduled for TV.
The Premier League is currently drawing up an agreement to
underpin this commitment. When confirmed by train operators and
football clubs, trials will be launched to understand how future
schemes can deliver more flexibility over train tickets for fans,
improve stewarding on trains and lead to closer interaction
between clubs and the BTP, ensuring better support
and security on matchdays.
Rail Minister said:
Football is all about passionate fans, and the last thing loyal
supporters deserve is to pay more when matches are rescheduled
at the last minute.
That’s why I’m delighted that the government has helped secure
a vital agreement that will bring together clubs, operators and
British Transport Police. Significant changes are now within
reach, which can ensure even more people use our railways to
get to games and improve the experience for all passengers on
match days.
To drive this forward, I will be meeting with the Premier
League and rail industry shortly to ensure our focus is on
delivering a safe, secure and fair railway that works for fans,
passengers, the clubs and the operators.
William Bush, Premier League Executive Director, said:
We are working closely with the government on an extensive
range of schemes, and we are confident there are some truly
transformational projects that we can take forward.
Both the Premier League and government are committed to working
hard for a fairer, affordable, safer deal for football fans. We
continue to work with rail industry leaders on proposals and
look forward to setting out a joint way forward which will
improve the travelling experience for fans on matchdays.
BTP Assistant
Chief Constable Robin Smith said:
We fully endorse these discussions and are delighted to work
alongside the government and the Premier League with a view to
improving the travelling experience for all passengers
particularly on match days.
Quite rightly the railway is a popular method of transport for
fans and that’s why we are determined to work together to
ensure journeys are a positive experience that don’t require
police intervention. We’re really looking forward to and are
excited by the next steps in this process.
Paul Plummer, RDG Chief Executive, said:
It’s not fair that last minute changes to the match day
schedule can increase costs for travelling fans which is why
train companies are working together to see how we can increase
flexibility and give people more certainty about their ticket.
This has to be alongside the ongoing, cross-industry work to
tackle anti-social behaviour from an extreme minority of people
on match days so that we can ensure everyone travelling can
have a comfortable journey.
The government is focused on delivering successful trials as
quickly as possible. If successful, these could then be rolled
out more widely to cover fans across the country.
