'Will be telling the public' - Liverpool mayor hints at exciting plans for Everton's new stadium

Steve Rotherham, the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has hinted that plans could be put in place for a tram system to link to Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The Toffees' 52,888-seater ground is due to be completed in late 2024 although a date has not been given when the club will move from its historic Goodison Park.

Still, planning is afoot for the switch, with a migration survey going out to supporters last month. Evertonians are already discussing how their match-day route may change when the move to Bramley-Moore Dock takes place. Currently, significant sections of fans travel to Goodison via train with Kirkdale and Bank Hall stations respectively located 0.8 miles and Bank Hall 1.2 miles away.

The nearest train station to the new ground, Sandhills, is 0.7 miles away. But with the stadium closer to Liverpool city centre, some supporters have already earmarked meeting up there and then walking - which is circa two miles.

Mr Rotherham, speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, explained that a tram system was in the offing in 2012 before plans broke down. But he suggested that proposals for new transport links will soon be disclosed to the public.

Mr Rotherham said: "The first [tram] line was going to go from Liverpool to Kirkby and then Liverpool to the airport. What we're going now is to see if we can retrospectively fit something in but a lot of that land in the corridors have had other things built on them.

"It's a bit messy but there is potentially an alternative solution I'm looking at. There is something that we, at some stage, will be telling the public about but it can connect to Bramley-Moore for instance. We need to do more on that and on Anfield.

"When the new stand is completed, there are another 10,000 people who need to get away from that area so we're looking at transport solutions.

"We're talking to Everton about how we service the new stadium. It will mean lots of options because people get the train and there are only three-car trains on a match day and all sorts so that's why I want an integrated public transport system. I want the train, stations and buses with active travel to be that quality alternative."