SO STRANGED! Birmingham City Has Spoken Bitterly About The “Success” Of Their Ticket Sell Out

Latest Birmingham City sell-out could lead to chaos after ‘disappointing’ decision

Birmingham City’s latest sell-out against Northampton Town could lead to increased traffic chaos post-match after West Midlands Rail cancelled trains from Bordesley to the city centre.

Blues supporters have become accustomed to the struggles of getting away from St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park and the removal of services from Bordesley station will only add to congestion.

West Midlands Rail confirmed earlier this week that supporters will no longer be able to travel back to the city centre from Bordesley, which is the closest train station to St Andrew’s. Fans have instead been advised to use Moor Street station – a 30-minute walk away from the stadium.

The decision has been taken due to overcrowding at the station. A number of Blues fans have complained to West Midlands Rail about safety concerns having been locked outside the station and forced to queue on the street. Following a recent game at St Andrew’s, a young fan was injured after being separated from his dad when the gate opened and people rushed onto the platform to catch trains.

The Blues Trust is frustrated that the service has been cancelled rather than made adequate for supporters. A comment issued to BirminghamLive reads: “Whilst there have been issues with overcrowding at Bordesley Station this season it’s disappointing that West Midlands Rail have sought to address this problem by just removing trains in one direction – this is poor customer service.

“It would surely be better to instigate a queuing system at the station and look at increasing train capacity to ensure safety rather than reducing capacity and leaving fans to walk or take a bus with the risk that some fans decide that the hassle of this is too much. It’s quite likely that near capacity crowds at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park will be the norm now and what we need is more options for fans rather than less.”

Those who normally take the train from Bordesley will now have to find alternative modes of transport. Those who don’t want to make the jaunt to Moor Street will have to drive themselves, use taxis or bus services.

Blues recently announced a partnership with National Express West Midlands to ferry fans to and from the city centre on match days. This service can only house around 700 supporters at present, though.

The likelihood is that supporters who can no longer catch the train from Bordesley will add to the number of cars on the roads surrounding St Andrew’s after the game. Roads such as Garrison Lane are often gridlocked after Blues matches more than two hours after the final whistle.