Travel & Transport

This section sets out travel information for home football matches at Villa Park. NON MATCHDAY indicates where travel information changes if you are visiting Villa Park on a non-matchday.

Please note that in the interest of pedestrian safety, a traffic exclusion zone (TEZ) is imposed around Villa Park on match days to exclude vehicles on the following roads:

Witton Lane from the junction with Aston Hall Road to the traffic island at Witton Road, and Trinity Road between Nelson Road and Witton Lane.

The zone is in operation 90 prior to kick off to approximately 30-60 minutes after the final whistle. The precise timing is dependent upon traffic and pedestrian movement on the affected roads.

Residents’ parking zones are in operation on match days. We strongly advise all supporters to use official car parks and avoid parking in residential areas. You will avoid the parking fine of £60 which you will incur for parking in within the residents’ zones.

Please note that in the interest of pedestrian safety, a traffic exclusion zone (TEZ) is imposed around Villa Park on match days. The TEZ is in operation from 90 minutes prior to kick off to approximately 30-60 minutes after final whistle. Drop-off can be arranged allowing supporters to be brought to either the North Stand or Holte End car parks, within walking distance of their stadium access point. However, the constraints of the TEZ must be observed and all supporters are advised that they should be dropped off prior to the TEZ being enforced (Recommended time is two hours prior to kick-off, TEZ can be brought forward if there are security concerns).

‘I hope that my successful campaign for equal access to the rail network on match-days will unite Aston Villa's fan base.’

It is that time of year again when sports fans from across the nation come together and celebrate all things access for Level Playing Fields, Unite for Access campaign which launches on Saturday 16th of February.

In February 2023 I started a campaign to get equal access to the rail network for those Aston Villa supporters who require assistance when boarding trains to and from matches. 

I started off by writing to Johnny Wiseman, the Passenger Experience Director at West Midlands Trains to share the challenges that I and others were facing when using the network on match-days. 

The biggest problem that we faced was not receiving the assistance required to board services home after matches so we were forced into dangerous situations like having to sit by the train doors on very busy services. 

Mr Wiseman replied to my letter a short time later with three solutions to the issues that I highlighted in my original correspondence dated the 18th of February 2023. 

Those solutions talked about redoubling efforts to have as many trained staff as possible to deliver assistance on match-days at Witton, reviewing where staff are positioned on the platforms post-match, so they are ready to assist customers requiring the use of a ramp to board trains. 

A few months later at the start of the 2023/24 season I returned to Villa Park using the rail network to see if anything had changed or improved. 

I was disappointed to see that nothing had changed following assurances from West Midlands Trains in respect of the issues that I had previously raised with them. I stepped up my campaign in August 2023 which involved several social media posts and interest from regional media outlets. 

The Minister for Rail and HS2, Huw Merriman MP and his departmental officials asked the team at West Midlands Trains to meet with me so that the issues that I had been attempting to raise with them could be discussed in further detail. 

In November last year I finally met with some of the WMT team at Witton where I showed them what I experience once I have made it back to the station after a match, it is also important to point out that I was leaving Villa Park at the 70 minute mark of a match just to ensure that I was able to get a place on the platform before the other fans started to arrive. 

It was agreed at the meeting in November that signage will be placed on the floor and walls of both platforms indicating where those requiring assistance on match-days are to wait for it to arrive. 

I have since returned to the station and helped to decide where the signage will be positioned on each of the two platforms. 

I have the following message for those who use Witton Lane station on match-days ahead of the signage installation, which I hope will be in the not to distant future, please remember that the wheelchair users using the network to get home from matches will require access to the boxes on each of the platforms. They are there to ensure that we can be seen and accessed by the senior conductor once the train has arrived at the station. 

We need to show a united front to ensure that all Aston Villa supporters using the rail network when attending matches regardless of their Disability, Gender, Age or Sexual Orientation have support that they always require from staff during the duration of their journey's to and from the stadium. 

I would like to place on record my thanks to the team at West Midlands trains who listened to the concerns that I was attempting to raise and acted on them as quickly as they possibly could.

I am proud of all the work that they have done with my support to make what is about happen at Witton a reality. 

I recognise that this is only a very small change, but I hope that it will go a long way to ensuring that disabled Aston Villa fans can enjoy attending matches for years to come whilst using the railway. 

I am so excited to be returning to Villa Park in the not-too-distant future where I will get to experience a full 90 minutes, something that I have not managed in years.

I will not rest until all Aston Villa supporters, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation feel that they can visit Villa Park using the rail network safely. 

Up the Villa 

Cam