By james art Train operator CrossCountry is giving some advice to visitors to Birmingham city center as the seasonal markets kick off this week.
The Frankfurt Christmas markets in Frankfurt, which run from Friday 1 November to Tuesday 24 December, bring thousands of festive revelers to the city center and mean busier trains than usual – especially later in the evening.
Although more places will be provided where possible, later services from Birmingham New Street will be extremely busy – passengers should not rely on the last train home and plan their journey well in advance.
Steve Hopkinson, Director of Service Delivery at CrossCountry, said: “We know the markets are very popular and mean busier trains. We don’t want to leave customers on the platform and encourage anyone visiting the markets to plan ahead and not rely on getting a seat on the last train home.
“I would remind passengers that our colleagues are working hard to get customers where they need to be. We have a zero tolerance approach to any anti-social behavior directed at our staff and will work with the police to prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
Apart from the festivities, Christmas markets can also lead to an unacceptable increase in anti-social behavior and bullying of colleagues on board.
The four weeks before Christmas 2023 saw a 14.3% increase in public order offences, including cases of anti-social behavior by CrossCountry colleagues, on the previous year.
Stephen Ireland, Head of Stations, Security and Customer Relationship Management for Network Rail’s Central Route, said: “All we want is for people to enjoy the Christmas season and get where they need to go safely.
“We have extra staff to help us with advice and information, and we have the support of a dedicated anti-social behavior team and St John Ambulance to ensure the safety of passengers and staff at this very busy time.”
“As Birmingham New Street station will be busier than normal, please plan ahead and check before you travel.”
Engineering work over the Christmas period will also mean changes to journeys later in the year.
For more details on journeys and to check before traveling, customers can use the CrossCountry app or visit the National Rail Inquiries website.
Image credit: CrossCountry