Merseyrail passengers are set to be hit by disruption early in the new year as strike action across the railways continues.
Merseyrail will run a limited service on Tuesday January 3, Wednesday January 4, Friday January 6 and Saturday January 7, due to planned strikes by Network Rail staff who are members of the RMT union.
While Merseyrail staff are not involved in the industrial dispute, the local network will be affected as Network Rail signalling and maintenance staff walk out. These employees will be taking action from 2am on Tuesday January 3 to 1:59am on Thursday January 5 and 2am on Friday January 6 to 1:59am on Sunday January 8.
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Merseyrail says it is limited in the number of trains it can run when these Network Rail staff are not available. As a result, the operator will run a 45-minute service calling at all stations on selected lines between 7:30am and 6.30pm to help passengers make essential journeys.
There will be no Merseyrail trains operating on the Hunts Cross line between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross at any point during the planned strike days.
There will be no rail replacement buses in operation. Those needing to travel outside the hours of service are advised to make alternative travel arrangements. However, on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 January, rail replacement buses will run on the Kirkby line between Kirkby and Moorfields, due to planned engineering works relating to the opening of Headbolt Lane station in 2023.
Here is a summary of the services that will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on January 3, 4, 6 and 7.
New Brighton line: Trains will run every 45 minutes, calling at all stations.
West Kirby line: Trains will run every 45 minutes, calling at all stations.
Southport line: Trains will run every 45 minutes, calling at all stations.
Hunts Cross line: No trains will operate between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross.
Ormskirk line: On Tuesday January 3 and Wednesday January 4 trains will run every 45 minutes, calling at all stations. On Friday January 6 and Saturday January 7 two trains will run per 45 minutes, calling at all stations to support the increased number of passengers expected to travel on the line as a result of the Kirkby line being closed for engineering work.
Kirkby line: On Tuesday January 3 and Wednesday January 4 trains will run every 45 minutes, calling at all stations. There will be no services on the Kirkby line on Friday January 6 and Saturday January 7, as there will be planned engineering works as part of the construction of the new Headbolt Lane station. A rail replacement bus service will run on the Kirkby line between 07:00 and 18:30, timetables will be available online at merseyrail.org and at stations closer to the date.
On Thursday January 5, train services will begin at approximately 7am. A limited rail replacement bus service will be in operation from the busiest stations prior to 7am. Passengers are advised to visit the Merseyrail website for full details or speak to a member of station staff.
On Sunday January 8 a normal timetable will operate except for the Kirkby and Hunts Cross lines, which are affected by planned engineering work. Full details of the arrangements for these lines is available on the Merseyrail website.
Passengers planning to travel on the Kirkby Line from January 9 onwards will also notice some changes to timetables, as preparations continue for the new fleet of trains. Full details will be available on station posters and the Merseyrail website in due course.
Jane English, Acting Managing Director at Merseyrail, said: “Merseyrail has worked closely with Network Rail to ensure we are able to run the best service possible on these strike days and allow passengers to make essential journeys. We would like to apologise for the disruption caused once again to our passengers as a result of the action being taken by Network Rail signallers and maintenance staff.
“We would remind those who are travelling on between Tuesday 3 January and 7 January to plan their journeys in advance, that trains are likely to be very busy and bear in mind that Merseyrail services will not be operating any later than 18:30 on the affected days. Please be patient with us, we will get you where you need to be.”
News of further disruption in January comes after Merseyrail confirmed it will not be running any trains on its network on Boxing Day.
The train operator had planned to run a 30-minute service across the network on December 26, but said this is no longer possible following the latest round of industrial action announced by the RMT.
Full timetables are available via the operator’s website at www.merseyrail.org/strike
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