Merseyrail has reached a major digital milestone during one of the busiest weekends in the sporting calendar, as tens of thousands of racegoers benefited from a new way to pay.
Merseyrail has thanked customers and partners after successfully delivering rail services for the 2026 Grand National Festival, with more than 111,000 journeys made over the three-day event.
This year marked a huge milestone for the network, with Tap & Go used for the first time during the Grand National, giving racegoers a quicker and more convenient way to pay as they travelled to and from Aintree station.
Working alongside the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Network Rail, Stadler, British Transport Police and The Jockey Club, Merseyrail delivered a dedicated event train plan to manage exceptionally high demand.
Careful planning and close partnership working helped keep queues, delays and cancellations to a minimum throughout the festival.
Enhancing the Customer Experience
Music and entertainment across key stations helped create a positive and welcoming atmosphere for customers.
Merseyrail’s much-loved free flip flops once again proved popular, helping to save tired racegoers’ feet at the end of long days and adding to the overall customer experience during the busy festival.
Neil Grabham, Managing Director at Merseyrail, said:
“The Grand National is one of the biggest and most complex events we support each year, and transporting over 105,000 customer journeys safely and smoothly is a real achievement.
“Introducing Tap & Go at such a high-profile event is a significant step forward for the network and shows how we continue to make travel easier and more flexible for our customers.
“I’d like to thank our colleagues, partners and customers for helping make this year’s festival such a success.”
A Smoother Journey for Thousands
The introduction of Tap & Go at Aintree represents a significant leap forward in the network’s modernisation, aiming to reduce the time spent at ticket offices and barriers during peak times.
By providing a more flexible fare system, the network was able to process the record-breaking influx of visitors with greater efficiency.
With the 2026 festival concluding successfully, the partnership between the transport operators and local authorities continues to focus on how digital innovation can further improve the passenger experience for future major events across the Liverpool City Region.
