TRANSPORT companies are going the extra mile to cope with hundreds of thousands of race-goers heading for Cheltenham next week.

The four-day festival and climax to the National Hunt season starts on Tuesday.

More than 200,000 racing fans are expected for the event and CrossCountry Trains is trying to ease the traffic congestion in the area by adding two extra dedicated services for race- goers.

With extra services running from Birmingham, Bristol and Derby as well as 94 regular services running into Cheltenham, the company expects to take almost 15,000 race-goers off the roads over the four days.

Racing pundit John McCririck is encouraging people to leave their cars at home. He said: "Most important of all is to get there early, so avoid the traffic jams and go by train."

Stagecoach will run regular shuttle buses to take passengers from the railway station to the racecourse and back.

A spokeswoman said: "They will run, on demand, from 9.30am until about 7.30pm. There will be members of staff there all day, directing people on to the buses."

Buses will also stop in town, outside WH Smith, enabling people to catch a ride to the racecourse every few minutes between 8.45am and 1pm.

Buses will then run in the opposite direction from 5pm until 7pm.

The sky above Cheltenham will be buzzing, as corporate guests and celebrities take the short-cut route to Prestbury Park.

Gloucestershire Airport director Mark Ryan expects there to be 100 helicopter journeys between the racecourse and Staverton each day.

He said: "If the weather is good, we're likely to see a substantial increase in traffic movements and passenger through-put. It's our busiest time of the year.

"It's a really busy, buzzing airport. We get people flying in from Ireland and all over Europe."

Irish airline Aer Arann is running day-trip flights between Dublin and the airport, using 72-seater aircraft.

Elsewhere, shoppers are being encouraged to take advantage of the quite period in the town centre each day when the racing is on.

John Forward, Regent Arcade manager, said: "It's a misconception that Cheltenham is a no-go area during the festival for anyone other than race- goers. In fact, between 1pm and 4pm, access to the town centre and its car parks couldn't be easier."

Meanwhile builders at Taylor Wimpey in Cheltenham are getting into the spirit of race week.

In a bid to promote the firm, staff at its Battledown Park development donned oversized masks bearing the likeness of TV racing pundit John McCririck. They also hired a horse to spend the day on site and promote the development.

Richard Goad, regional sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey, said: “The festival brings some great business into Cheltenham every year, filling up our restaurants, bars and hotels for the weekend.

“However, we know the town has a great deal to offer all year round so we’re encouraging anyone who enjoys their annual experience to move here permanently.”