Cheltenham Festival Sparks Crowd Control at Birmingham New Street and Massive Drink Sales
Birmingham New Street will use crowd control as thousands head to the Cheltenham Festival, disrupting rail journeys for racegoers. Network Rail and Cross Country said queuing systems will run from 08: 00 and 13: 00 GMT (3: 00 a. m. ET and 8: 00 a. m. ET) on race days, so cheltenham passengers should plan journeys and allow extra time.
Cheltenham Guinness Price Cut Sets 400, 000-Pint Expectation
Festival organisers have cut the pint price of Guinness to £7. 50 from £7. 80, and chiefs expect racegoers to consume about 400, 000 pints across the four-day meeting. The event spans four days and organisers will open 50 bars across the racecourse to serve crowds, with capacity on-course bars intended to cater for up to 240, 000 fans.
Birmingham New Street Adds Queuing, Extra Staff and Signage
Network Rail said extra staff will be on hand at Birmingham New Street and a queuing system will be in place from 08: 00 and 13: 00 GMT (3: 00 a. m. ET and 8: 00 a. m. ET) on race days for customers travelling to Cheltenham Spa. Cross Country said there would be signage directing customers to the holding area for services, and Lauren Fleming, Cross Country’s events and resilience manager, warned services between Birmingham and Cheltenham will be extremely busy. Network Rail noted an extra 12, 700 people, approximately, travelled to the event by rail last year, with numbers expected to hold this year across the rail network.
House Champagne Sales, Prosecco Option and Food Service Numbers
Estimates for champagne sales at the festival range from 14, 000 to 20, 000 bottles; at £85 per bottle, that range could net roughly £1. 19 million to £1. 7 million over the counter. Organisers have also introduced prosecco as an option, with a bottle of Prosecco listed at £46. 00 and a glass of house wine at £10. More than 400 chefs are reported to have been hired to produce about 200 tons of food every day, and the longest course-side bar will stretch approximately 225ft to serve customers.
Closing: The Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 March; queuing systems will operate from 08: 00 and 13: 00 GMT (3: 00 a. m. ET and 8: 00 a. m. ET) on race days.
