Anyone have any nightmares using public transport to
Old Trafford today?

Nice to see First Transpennine Express had put a poor amount of trains & carriages over all day to Manchester which led to some horror journeys from what I'm reading online

I hate travelling to manchester anyway, i find the Staff at Manchester Piccadilly pathetic. It's like they have to control everything, especially on platforms 13 & 14.

Getting there, great... never any problem from the Lime St side, got to the wetherspoons, which was excellently full of League fans, soaking up the atmosphere.

Tram, again no problem.

Coming back.... Well the Power Police come out.

Got to the tram station to see HUGE queues, understandably, it's a 76,000 ground. When asking the security chap how long it'd take to reach the tram, i was greeted with a 'UGHHHHH, If i had a pound for everytime people asked me today, i'd be rich, like i told everyone else, 45 MINUTES', when asking whether crossing to go towards Altrincham and coming back on myself would work better, i got a 'Do whatever you like, I'm saying nothing, because if you do it wrong, you'll try blame me'

Disgusted, rest assure, 10 minutes later, i was on a tram going toards Manchester, and gleefully smiled at the guard who was rude.

At Piccadilly, we were in a little rush for our train, to find out they'd cordoned off access to our platford, telling people to queue... there were people waiting over 2 hours to get on a train, i wasn't doing that, and lept onto the escalator, walked onto the train, and there was ample enough space to get alot more on the train.

The staff at Piccadilly are unnecessarily difficult, and i'm sure EVERYONE, who went through Piccadilly this evening who needed to go via. St. Helens, Warrington, Wigan and liverpool, will agree.

If a member of staff gave me attitude like that they'd find they hadn't the use of their gob for a considerable amount of time.

Ridiculous both going and back.

Trains terminating at Stalybridge, then told don't even try and get on another they're all full.

Got at taxi to OT for twenty plus sheets.

Coming back was told that the train wasn't going from Victoria as the web site said, but Piccadilly, so walked over there got on a train in a massive scrum only to then be told this train had a fault so go and run to platform two to get a train that didn't stop at my station so I had to get another taxi back to my house.

Friends I'd taken to the final thought they'd disembarked in a third world country, and to be fair, we had.

Getting there from Leeds not too bad,a bit cramped but seats were booked so easy journey. Taxi from train station,no sweat.

Coming back chuffing nightmare . 40 mins to get the tram which we accepted. Had two hours in mani to chill,beer food. Three of us went for 8-40 train back to Leeds,seats also booked. It was like a scene on the Tokyo underground. To cut a long story short I got into Leeds at 10pm and my other two mates were still in Manchester ,who eventually got a BUS to Leeds. Why or why they didn't anticipate many travellers from over the hill is beyond me.

We had a lovely journey back...

We had some racist LUFC fans singing about the Munich air disaster and giving about speeches EDL & BNP would have been proud of

Made me ashamed to say I follow Leeds United

We eventually got back at midnight mate.

The next train was on platform 13, we made our way over but at the foot of the stair well there was an enormous queue of around 500 or so people so made our way back to platform 3 for the next one from there. With around 20 minutes before departure this platform filled so we heeded the advice from the station announcements and moved up the platform and got a good spot to board. With less than 5 minutes to departure the station announced that the platform had changed to number 2, the one directly behind us, which created a near stampede, for the train arriving behind, somebody could easily have been bumped off the platform and under the wheels of the arriving train. When it arrived there were folk charging the doors, it was incredibly dangerous. Eventually BTP arrived and stopped anyone else getting on. The staffing levels at Piccadilly were woefully inadequate, nor did any manager have any sense to restrict access to the platform to those with seat reservations before allowing anyone else to board. It was a miracle no one was hurt or killed.

Anyway after liasing with a member of station staff we got wind that they were arranging busses on the station concourse. We headed out to find a 15 seat minibus (I kid you not) which we were incredibly lucky to get on to take us to Leeds where we somehow managed to catch the last train home to Keighley with a matter of minutes to spare. Otherwise we would have been looking at a £40 taxi ride home.

Have to agree OT is a nightmare with regard to public transport. Not impressed with the ground either since where I was sitting I could not see the big screen. Joke of a ground for transport and viewing if you are high up in the stands.

Overheard a guy near me saying the trains were full at Dewsbury and Huddersfield that people with suitcases heading for the airport were turned away

Complete nightmare the entire day, pretty much echo what has been said already. Plus the seats in OT had 0 leg room (although I am 6'3) I won't be going back there again.

Roads where awfull as well, 3 hours there 3 hours back, to Cas. Usually a 60 min run to Manchester then 30 mins through to parking.

The trams to OT were a health risk, they officials joked as more people were crammed in at each stop to get in like sardines. Decided to walk back to Manchester City Centre rather than face that again. Only took an hour.

I drove and it was fine. Straight in and parked right next to the ground.

If using public transport I always walk back into Manchester - its the quickest way.

Only problem we had was because we decided to drive into Central Manchester after the game - big mistake - gridlocked. After nearly two hours of going round in a 400 yard circle we decided to just head out and home.

Forward planning is not some peoples strong points is it.

As a nation we really are clueless even at the initial planning stage of events.

Train from Piccadilly direct to the station behind the South Stand was pretty rammed, but a good laugh and it's absolutely ideal to be dropped off so close to the ground.

After the game we went to the pub at the side of the Salford Quays tram stop while the queues died down, all worked well. The trains at Victoria were a shambles though, there was a Wigan via Atherton train that was delayed half an hour and absolutely rammed. Didn't get on that, waited another 5 minutes and ended up getting a train on the same route with loads of room!

Pain in the backside yesterday. We stood waiting for the train at Oxford Road, as it pulled in we were told there was no chance of getting on as it was rammed. We ended up in a taxi to the ground which only worked out at £2 each so not that bad. Coming back into the centre the train was fine, but trying to get back to Warrington was a joke.

Agree with an earlier poster, platform staff at Manchester Piccadilly are some of the rudest people in the world.

We missed out on one train there due to a train coming from Hull, going through Leeds and Huddersfield, being busy on World Cup Final day.

Coming back was a nightmare. Trains moving platforms, very unhelpful manager on the platform blaming the government, crushing on the platform due to moving platforms, crushing to get on (my leg ended up in the gap between train and platform due to pushing) and a train rammed full.

Why they didn't get some replacement coaches on to help out I have no idea. Had to get a taxi home as missed the connecting train. Sure many, many others were in the same boat.

In short, First Transpennine Express - shambles.

10.22 NLW to Vic, 2 carriages - shambles, few lads couldn't get on at Atherton because trains were full so ended up in a taxi.
Markets and a WC final, so lets reduce carriages - I walked back into town also

Sounds like the Jubilee line every morning and afternoon!

OT must work as Man Utd get full houses every week. How come it goes so wrong in RL!

Because people think it's like going to Castleford on a wet Wednesday - just turn up at the last minute. If you get there early and grab a drink and some chips near the ground it's just about the easiest big stadium in the country to get to and from. Much easier than anywhere else I can think of.

I'm suprised that, after 15 or so grand finals, suddenly the seating is crap.

Getting there was quite bad
Wakey to Hudds fine...
11:00 at Hudds missed three trains to manchester due to them all being full / so many on the platform.
On 4th attempt managed to squeeze on and stood up to piccadilly not too bad, then taxi to OT was fine.

Getting back managed to get on a bus from the stadium that dropped us at piccadilly gardens and got on a train and sat down at platform 1.. only to be told now there swapping trains to another one which we all had to get off and scrum to get on..

First trans-pennine """express""" total joke.. not enough carriages and all the staff underprepared.

Travel was hard work.

Train Not as bad as grand final day coming but close managing to squeeze on but left a good 50+ on the platform and after our stop they didnt let anyone on. 2 carriages.

I then got the tram at eccles to exchange quay much easier than from the city.

On the seating I was in the north stand yesterday and i`ve been to few grand finals in the southstand when I was 6 stone heavier and they did seem cramped compared to the DW 2 weeks ago.

Ater the game I walked to salford quays over the bridge and sat and had a bev round there til 7.

Trams to manchester where empty then.

Victoria was another matter 10:30 train bedlam again the cancelling , changing platforms on trains fiasco.

But thankfully they had to put on a lot more carriages or they would have had a riot.

As long as you are there for the train and have a ticket they have to get you home. Must cost em a fortune.

I think the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff is arguably the easiest, it's right in the city centre and I've never had any issues when I've been.

I didn't have any issues yesterday. Went over in the car, got parked up at 1pm or so and didn't have any issues in the journey (saw a traffic alert that the M60 was congested J18-J12 so just went the other way around it). Easy walk up to the ground, got in in plenty of time. No bother.

There was the obvious traffic congestion after the match but that was to be expected.

I've been sat in worse but it wasn't brilliant. Being 6'3, I've gotten used to having very tight legroom at matches but I was in the Stretford End yesterday and the legroom was less than what I've experienced at the last two grounds I've been to (the KC Stadium and the Stadium of Light). It wasn't unbearable but I can understand how some people bigger than myself would have cause for complaint.

The bigger problem for me, and no doubt many others, was that I had the shoes of the girl sitting behind me right in my back throughout the game due to the small gap in the seat being at exactly the same level as the floor of the row behind.

Incidentally, it sounded like most of her group were at their first ever game of rugby league and enjoyed it, so it's good to see the World Cup bringing in new support - it's exactly what a lot of us want.