In order to cope with the “increased number of visitors”, a fan zone is planned to be set up at a train station next to Everton’s new stadium.

Transport operator Merseytravel has submitted plans to Liverpool City Council to create a fan management zone at Sandhills Station, the closest station to the club’s new stadium. Bramley Moore Dock.

The new zone will be a “key transport hub” for away fans on their way to and from the stadium and into Liverpool city centre.

The measures include the creation of a new waiting area for pedestrians to ensure that passengers can be processed safely during peak times.

According to documents submitted to the local authority, the organisation has worked with Everton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, British Transport Police, Liverpool City Council and Merseyrail to develop plans to cope with the increased number of visitors.

A statement from management said that while the platforms would be able to accommodate and handle the expected number of additional passengers who would use the services in a reasonable period of time, access to the platforms would be “restricted”, resulting in a limit on the number of passengers on the platforms during times of “likely high demand”.

The zone would be located on land owned by Merseytravel next to the station and would be used after football matches and other major events have finished until they can be safely transferred to the railway.

During the rest of the year, the zone would return to its previous use, namely the storage of rail-based equipment or activities related to the operation of rail replacement bus services.

A date for the Liverpool City Council’s planning department to review the plans has not yet been set.

The Merseyside club has stated that the completion of the 52,888-seat stadium remains on schedule and should be completed by the end of 2024.