Man Utd is installing 1,500 rail seats in an Old Trafford as a tentative concussion that combats prolonged standing and, if successful, could be used in other areas of the floor
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Manchester United have started installing 1,500 train seats at Old Trafford ahead of a test for the coming season.
The club got approval from Trafford Council to install the seats before last season, but the pandemic is preventing fans from participating in games and plans have been put on hold.
However, work is currently underway to install the rail or barrier seats in the old J-grandstand section of Old Trafford, which is in the lower northeast section of the stadium.
The section will include seats but will have safety rails behind them and allow standing during goal celebrations and key moments.
United has emphasized that the move is about addressing the problem of permanent standing rather than promoting safe standing.
At the fan forum meeting in April, United announced that they would have the train seats installed this summer.
Collette Roche, United’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “We remain committed to installing barrier seats in the Northeast Quadrant and although work has been put on hold due to the pandemic, we plan to begin installation this summer.
“We will be working with Trafford Council to discuss and finalize the specific terms and conditions and hope that the barrier seating section will be operational once we are back at full capacity.”
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When announcing the plans, United insisted the move would add security.
Managing Director Richard Arnold admits that if the process is successful, he would try to implement it elsewhere in the stadium.
He said: “We believe that the introduction of barrier seating will increase spectator safety in areas of the stadium where, like other clubs, we have seen examples of prolonged standing.
“It also enables us to future-proof the stadium in the event that the current stadium guidelines for seating-only changes.
“If the test is successful, we can consider further implementation of barrier seating in other parts of the stadium.
“We will now develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial version to have the new seats installed when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford.”
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