Get your travel plan sorted for the big weekend

This weekend looks set to be one of the busiest of the year in Greater Manchester with more than 100,000 people expected to attend high profile music and sports events in the city.

Up to 70,000 music fans are due to descend on Heaton Park on both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy a varied line up of dance acts, DJs, rap, rock, and indie bands at the Parklife festival.

On Sunday, the Soccer Aid event takes place at Old Trafford and is expected to attract up to 75,000 people – all eager to watch Robbie Williams and a host of celebrities and footballing legends in an England v the rest of the world charity match.

Demand on the region’s buses, trains and trams will be a lot higher than normal all weekend, but particularly from early afternoon and late at night.

As a result, people travelling over the weekend are being advised to plan their travel arrangements well in advance, check the times of final departures (including any connections) and, crucially, give themselves plenty of time to catch very busy services.

Parklife travel information, options and advice can be found at: http://www.parklife.uk.com/info/id/6/Travel.html

A dedicated bus service – the Parklife Express – is being promoted as the fastest and easiest way to travel to the festival, as it will take revellers from Platt Fields and the city centre right into the Heaton Park site (and back again) on both days.

Parklife Express services will run to the festival between 10am and 4.30pm and from the site between 6.30pm and around 1am. Tickets can be booked in advance.

Commercial bus operators will also be running additional services over the weekend to cater for demand, with Stagecoach Manchester in particular operating services from Aytoun Street to Heaton Park, dropping off at Swan Street on return.

Special fares will apply.

People planning to use Metrolink services to get to Heaton Park should be aware of service changes during the redevelopment of the Manchester Victoria stop. For more details, check here: http://www.metrolink.co.uk/pages/news.aspx?newsID=89

Anyone leaving the festival after 6.30pm will only be able to use the nearby Bowker Vale stop, because it has better queuing facilities than the Heaton Park stop.

Crucially, anyone travelling home beyond the city centre on either Saturday or Sunday should also check when their last tram from the city leaves and expect those services to be very busy.

On Sunday, Parklifers will be joined in the city by fans heading to Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, so Metrolink will be running additional trams between Piccadilly and Old Trafford before and after the match.

Those travelling to Soccer Aid by tram are also advised to check when their last tram leaves Old Trafford, Trafford Bar and other stops serving the ground, and give themselves plenty of time to board as services will be very busy.

Advice for travelling to Soccer Aid by Metrolink is available at: http://www.metrolink.co.uk/pages/news.aspx?newsID=91