lONDON Midland has warned non-Wembley-bound passengers to avoid using services before noon on Saturday as well as some early evening departures from Euston.
Up to 10,000 Cobblers’ fans are expected to let the train take the strain on Saturday as they go to see their team play at Wembley in the League Two play-off final, their first visit to the home of football since 1998.
There will be 13 trains from Northampton to London between 730am and 11.50am, all starting from Birmingham, which means many are already over half full by the time they arrive at Northampton.
Where possible, London Midland says it will be attaching extra carriages to these trains at Northampton.
However, the rail operator still has to provide carriages for 1,200 trains running across the London Midland network on a Saturday, so not all departures from Northampton will benefit.
As a result, they have hired a number of extra trains from other operators, including Virgin Trains, allowing them to run additional non-stop services from Northampton to London approximately half-hourly between 8am-10.30am, returning from Euston between 4.50pm and 7.50pm.
Each of these 11/12 carriage trains will be able to carry over 800 people.
London Midland recommends fans take the first available train to London Euston then take the Metropolitan Line from Euston Square to Wembley Park, adjacent to the stadium.
Wembley Central station (between Watford Junction and London Euston) is a 20-25 minute walk from the stadium, so it is quicker to travel via Euston and the Metropolitan Line.
The station is also unable to accommodate the longest trains, so only a handful of London Midland services will stop there before the match. There will be no London Midland services from Wembley Central after the match, so fans must head for London Euston for the train home.
Passengers are being urged to arrive at the station early and to buy their ticket before Saturday. As with all major events, a queuing system will be in operation at Northampton with only those with a valid ticket able to join the queue
Tickets can be bought at any ticket office or by going online and collecting them from any London Midland self-service ticket machine.
The one day Travelcard (£30.70) allows a return journey from Northampton to London, plus unlimited use of tubes, trains and buses throughout London, including Wembley.
If you are travelling with children, ask for a Family Travelcard (children travel for just £1), or get a GroupSave fare (up to 50 per cent cheaper than normal fares) if three or four people are travelling together all day.