ALMOST 16,000 Apprentice Boys are expected to arrive in Derry this morning by coach. Thousands more are expected to travel by rail and road. A spokesman for Ulsterbus said 203 coaches had been booked and private coaches and extra bookings would probably bring the number of coaches to 300. At 53 people per coach, this would bring the numbers to 15,900.
"In previous years the numbers have been falling. There would have been about 160 coaches. But this year, with what's happening with the walls and everything, more are coming.
Northern Ireland Railways said it had no figures for the number of Apprentice Boys expected to travel to the city by train.
Hundreds of cars are expected in the city from early morning. The RUC will operate traffic diversions for eight hours from 10 a.m. Part of the Craigavon Bridge will be closed to traffic as well as the parade route.
A spokeswoman for Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry said the hospital would be on standby. She said an emergency protocol was in place for the weekend, with extra staff on standby. However, she claimed that preparations were "no different to any other weekend".