Portsmouth explore possibility of adding valuable new Fratton Park facility that will go down well the PO4 faithful

Chief executive Andy Cullen has said initial talks have been held with those involved in the new £20m Tipner Transport Hub off the M275. He also added the Blues will look into the economic viability of such a scheme, with supporters set to be consulted.

The development comes after the Blues chief revealed the findings of a transport survey that involved 4,000 fans earlier this year.

Speaking in his programme notes ahead of Saturday’s game against Port Vale, Cullen said 41 per cent of those who took part would welcome a park and ride facility with a dedicate route to the the ground, with 60 per cent admitting they travelled to Fratton Park on match days by car.

Interestingly, the CEO also added that 65 per cent of participants would consider travelling to home games via train if there was a safer access route via a new footbridge from Fratton Station. The survey, which as conducted in March, revealed only 19 per cent of the 4,000 fans who took part currently use the rail network to get to PO4 on the day of a game.

Cullen wrote in his notes: ‘Many of you will recall that in March, the club conducted a supporter match-day travel survey.

‘This was completed by nearly 4,000 of you and revealed that 60 per cent of fans travel to Fratton Park by car and 19 per cent by train, whilst three per cent used bus services.

‘In a set of earlier programme notes, I shared the survey insight that 65 per cent would consider coming by train if there was a safer access route via a new footbridge from Fratton Station.

‘Meanwhile, 41 per cent expressed an interest in using a “Park and Ride” service if there was a dedicated route from the proposed Tipner Transport Hub to the stadium. This is particularly relevant given that 32 per cent of survey respondents lived 21 miles or more away from Fratton Park.

‘We have proceeded to initial exploratory talks with those involved in running the “Park and Ride” service and would now like to assess the potential economic viability of such a project.

‘Supporters will, therefore, shortly be invited to complete a new survey, specifically asking anyone interested in such a dedicated service where they travel from; how many people they travel with; what time they usually arrive and depart Fratton Park, both on Saturdays and for evening fixtures; the cost they would be prepared to pay for such a service; and how far they would be prepared to walk from the stadium to a dedicated bus stop, reasonably close by.

‘The survey will be made available shortly, both on the club website and via our social media channels. Please look out for it, as it would be really helpful to understand the case, or otherwise, for such a service.’

Planning permission for the Tipner Transport Hub was granted in February 2022.

Built on the existing park and ride facility at Tipner, the scheme will see the number of car parking spaces increase from 650 to 2,650, alongside increased bus provision and bike and e-scooter hire.