UPDATE: National industrial action announced by the RMT on 20 and 22 July on mainlines services operating from Liverpool Lime Street station may affect your journey. Check directly with your operator for the most up to date information.

Page last updated: Thursday 29 June 2023

Golf fans travelling to The Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time to make sure they can get to and from the event.

We are working closely with local partners including rail and bus operators, Merseyside Police, Wirral Council and event organisers to help ensure that everybody’s journeys to and from the course are as easy and safe as possible.

Royal Liverpool Golf Course in Hoylake is hosting this year’s event for the 13th time. It will take place between July 16 and 23 and is expected to bring in a record 260,000 people to Hoylake.

We want everyone to enjoy this fantastic occasion, so we’ve worked with transport operators and partners to put arrangements in place to help make sure people can travel around -  getting fans to the events and home safely and smoothly is a big part of the experience.

In return, we’re asking people to follow our top tips and plan their journeys – you can find all the information below.

Whether you are travelling to enjoy the golf, commuting to work or taking the family out for a day trip, key information and advice is now available to help you plan your journeys.

If you live or are staying local and are able to…

• Cycle or walk if you can – Active travel will often be the quickest way of getting around, and you’ll help to keep our air clean.  

If you’re using public transport…

• Plan ahead – We expect services on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line to be busier than usual across the week of the championship.
  
  

• Check timetables – Make sure to do this ahead of and on your day of travel in case there are any changes – in particular check last bus and train times. Merseytravel and operators will use social media to publish changes made at short notice.
  
  

• Leave plenty of time – Some journeys might take longer than usual or be subject to delay or changes at short notice – so whether attending the event or not please be aware of the plans and changes.
  
  

• Consider your options – The transport network is expected to be busier than usual. Think about staggering your travel home times and have a plan B in case you can’t get the service you planned for. In particular, don’t wait for the last scheduled train or bus home as these can often be very busy.
  
  

• If possible buy travel tickets in advance and online – This will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day.
  
  

• Arrive early at the station, stop or ferry terminal in good time – This is to avoid disappointment as there may be queues.
  
  

• Consider multi modal ticket - such as Saveaways as these will give you more options  
  
  

• Be patient – there will be lots of people travelling for the events
  
  

• Please be kind and respectful to transport staff – Remember that they are working really hard to get you to where you need to be. Let’s make this event fun and be proud of our region!
  
  

A summary of transport information can be found below. For the most detailed and up-to-date guidance, people should regularly check operator websites and social media channels as these services are subject to last minute changes.

In planning for the relevant events some additional services have been added to the rail network to ensure people can travel to and home from the event safely.