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Amex Stadium Transport
The
Amex Stadium is situated on the campus of Brighton
University, just over four miles from the city centre
next to the village of Falmer. It is rather unique in
that it is one of the only grounds outside of London
that relies largely on public transport.
This was a condition of the planning permission for the
stadium, with some residents of Falmer concerned that
their village would be ruined by effectively becoming a
huge car park. How none of these people had noticed the
A27 running straight through the middle of the village
remains a mystery to this day.
While you can drive to the stadium, there are plenty of
other, preferable options for getting to and from the
Amex. And don't forget, you can claim free travel in the
Sussex area on production of your match day ticket.
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| Train |
| Train is the
most popular form of transport to and from the
Amex and it certainly used to be the easiest.
Unfortunately, Southern Rail, ASLEF and the RMT
Union and the Department for Transport are
currently being run by a bunch of complete and
utter cretins and Brighton and the South East
have been crippled by a diabolical rail service
and multiple strikes over the last year.
It has been
particularly felt during evening games, with the
Friday night encounter with Aston Villa in
November 2016 kicking off in front of a 3/4 full
stadium with thousands still queuing at Brighton
Station at 7.45pm. If it isn't a strike day
however then the train is the best option.
Falmer Station is quite literally on the
doorstep of the Amex and is served by trains
from Brighton and Lewes. These run every 15
minutes or so on a match day, with the busiest
periods being between two counting down to one
hour before kick off.
A queuing system
is in place at Brighton Station and you can
expect to wait between 10 and 20 minutes to
board a train depending on how busy it is. If
you don't mind turning up right on the referees
whistle, one trick we have found is that
catching the 2.40pm for a Saturday 3pm kick off
will mean no queue, getting a seat and arriving
just in time for kick off.
As you would
expect, the queue afterwards can be massive and
you can wait up to 30 minutes for a train if you
wait for the final whistle. If you don't fancy
that, then there are two options - either leave
before the final whistle or stay and enjoy a
beer on the concourses afterwards. The bars
remain open to help the crowd disperse.
You can travel
for free between Haywards Heath in the north,
Worthing in the west and Eastbourne in the east
to the Amex on production of your match ticket.
If you are travelling from further away than
those three stops, then simply buy a ticket to
the relevant station on your route and the rest
of the journey is free. |
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| Bus |
| From central
Brighton, the Amex is well served by buses that
drop off and pick up on both university
campuses. Buses 23, 25X, 28 and 29 all go to
Falmer from stops outside the Royal Pavilion and
Churchill Square. There was plenty of
controversy when bus lanes were installed on
Lewes Road as in rush hour it now makes the M25
look like the Nurburgring, but one positive of
that decision is that if you do catch the bus
you can get to the stadium quickly while
avoiding either commuter or football traffic.
All Brighton and
Hove buses are free with a match ticket meaning
you can travel from as far as Tunbridge Wells in
Kent without paying. Stagecoach's 700 and N700
along the coast from Worthing are also free. |
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| Park
and Ride |
| If you can't
think of any way to get to the Amex other than
using your car, then Park and Ride is another
option. There are three sites available - at
Mill Road at the bottom of the A23, the
University of Brighton on either side of Lewes
Road near the Gyratory and at Brighton
Racecourse. Simply park your car for free and
hop on a bus to the stadiums coach park. Mill
Road is the most popular of these given that it
serves traffic from both the north and west and
can fill up quickly. There is a queuing system
after games although this does tend to move
quicker than that at the station and you will
normally be back with you car within 45 minutes
of the final whistle. |
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Taxi |
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There are plenty of
taxis around Brighton and Hove and the journey
from central Brighton should weigh in at under a
tenner. Alternatively, the city recently moved
into the 21st century and so you can take an
Uber, providing you are happy with the possible
risk of going via Southampton or getting raped. |
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| Car
Parking |
| There is minimal
parking at the Amex and if you do choose that
option, it will cost you. This has to be booked
in advance and will extract £15 from your
person. The parking sites are the Bridge Car
Park (not named after former Albion left back
Wayne and his hot wife Frankie unfortunately)
which is a 10 minute walk away at the bottom of
the University of Brighton Campus, the
University of Sussex the other side of the A27
from the stadium and Bennett's Field behind the
East Stand. Pedestrians and public transport
always take priority over private cars and so
you can expect to face a long wait to get out
after a game. There is no on street parking
around the stadium with the permit holders only
zone stretching out around three miles into the
city from the Amex. |
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Bicycle & Walking |
| If you are
healthy or have too much time on your hands,
then you can either cycle or walk to the Amex.
The journey is relatively straightforward, you
just head straight up the Lewes Road. There are
cycle lanes in both directions which should
reduce the chances of you getting mown down and
there are multiple bicycle racks at the stadium.
For those who fancy
a walk, it takes around an hour from central
Brighton. It used to be quite pleasant on an
August day as there were a number of pubs on
route to stop in for replenishment, but only The
Bear and The Gladstone remain after the closing
down of The Lectern and The Dugout. Once you
pass the University of Brighton, it can be a
dreary walk through the edges of Moulsecoomb,
one of the least attractive parts of the city
but hey, think of all the calories you are
burning. |
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