Commuters will face 'real problems' as construction of a new Merseyrail station nears completion.
Headbolt Lane will become the newest station on the Merseyrail network when it opens this summer. The station, in the Towerhill area of Kirkby, will extend the Merseyrail Kirkby line and will be the terminal for Northern's services towards Wigan Wallgate.
As the station prepares to open, Merseyrail has announced changes to services on the Kirkby line that will take place between July 1 and August 13. Passengers are being asked to plan their journeys in advance as on a number of days no trains will run on the line.
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Between Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 9 no trains will run between Kirkby and Liverpool Central with rail replacement bus services operating instead. To stop trains on the Ormskirk line from becoming crowded, additional services will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central at peak times from Monday to Friday.
This disruption, albeit accepted, will cause issues for those who travel on the Kirkby line.
One man who commutes on the Kirkby line told the ECHO: "This is going to cause real problems getting in town and in to work on time. I appreciate the need for work to get this new station up and running but this makes things more difficult in the short term.
"There will be concerns over the reliability of a replacement bus service, particularly in an already congested area like Longmoor Lane in Fazakerley."
Earlier this week, Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail, said: “We sincerely apologise to Kirkby line customers for the disruption this vital work will cause. We know this will impact passengers, and we only undertake such closures when there is no other option.
“We have worked hard to provide rail-replacement bus services and the option of trains at Fazakerley in order to mitigate the negative impact this period will have. However, I am confident that once this vital work is done the people of Kirkby will be delighted with their new station at Headbolt Lane.”
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