Celtic must address SPFL over travel fiasco

By Connor Gordon

October 29, 2018

Hundreds of Celtic fans were left stranded before and after yesterday’s game and the club must address this to the SPFL.

Trains were not running to certain stations coming from Glasgow due to overcrowding on all carriages. This left Celtic fans with the choice of going all the way into Glasgow or find alternative transport.

However, the frequency of the Sunday service meant that a seat still wasn’t guaranteed.

Scotrail’s failings are all too familiar

We knew this game and its location was in the pipeline for weeks and fans did make plans ahead accordingly.

However, word spread before the game that Scotrail was not prepared for the demand.

Celtic fans didn’t let travel problems deter from semi-final party. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Over 30,000 fans made their way to the capital to watch Celtic’s 3-0 victory over Hearts.

The club must now address fans’ problems faced in travelling to the capital.

Many supporters were left out of pocket by using alternative transport such as taxis and extra trains.

Return journey even worse

On the journey back, fans also faced chaos as there was no guidance on where to go.

Trains were stopped going into Glasgow Central meaning those on that line had to be diverted elsewhere.

Fans then had to make their way from Queen Street to Central station to make the journey back home.

Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen fans had to be kept apart at Glasgow Queen Street stations after their games. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Police also greeted fans on their return from Edinburgh, keeping Aberdeen, Rangers and Celtic fans apart.

A club statement to the SPFL would put pressure on the governing body to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

It boggles the mind even more that they wanted to play these games all at the same stadium, too.

More trains needed to be put on and match day planning needs to improve.

All too accepting in Scotland

Glasgow, Edinburgh and Scotrail were not prepared for this match when they should have.

It is not a surprise and is a perfect example of laziness and gross negligence often experienced in these organisations.

This just simply wouldn’t happen in other major European countries, so why do we accept it?

Celtic would earn a lot of fan backing across the board if they took the SPFL and Scotrail to task over this.