Steve Rotheram admitted Merseyrail's service "fell below standard" in a frustrating morning of delays and cancellations.
The Metro Mayor told the ECHO he "knows how frustrating it is" after large parts of the network were disrupted by the overnight bad weather. Merseyrail warned the forecasted drop in temperatures overnight would mean the first services of the day on each line would run without passengers.
But the cold snap resulted in major disruption on several lines, most notably on the Northern Line where all services between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross were suspended. To add to passengers' frustrations, a message from the operator told passengers that ice on the roads meant rail replacement buses were unable to serve its stations.
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Mr Rotheram, along with his Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham, has spoken strongly about transport in the North. In an ECHO feature last year, the Metro Mayor criticised TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast - two of the largest train operators in the region - for "completely unacceptable" services.
Mr Rotheram added: "Wherever you go in the North, the story is the same: urgent appointments missed, late arrival at work and school, cut off from vital public services, isolated from friends and families – and some put in dangerous situations. Our region should not be forced to put up with this second-class service."
And following today's disruption the Metro Mayor has looked closer to home and admitted Merseyrail's service had "fallen below the standard". Mr Rotheram today told the ECHO: "It would appear from recent events across the UK’s transport system that we don’t respond well to cold snaps and adverse weather conditions. In addition, the fragmented nature of our rail system causes confusion as to who is responsible when things go wrong.
"Signalling and track maintenance are matters for Network Rail, however, I am meeting with Merseyrail today and will raise concerns on behalf of passengers to make sure levels are back where they deserve as soon as possible. I travel on our trains every day and know all too well how frustrating it is when services are disrupted.
"Difficult weather conditions are unavoidable – but it doesn't change the fact that the very minimum we should expect from our public transport network is that it's able to take us to work or school on time - and today's service has fallen below that standard.
"While cancellations and delays aren’t unique to Merseyrail, passengers deserve the reassurance that, in no uncertain terms, the necessary contingencies are put in place to ensure this doesn't keep happening. I’m also writing to Network Rail, who are responsible for the rail infrastructure, to demand answers about why our region suffers so badly during cold weather."
A spokesperson for Merseyrail apologised for the service this morning - and told the ECHO that one of the reasons the transport network is affected worse than others is due to its power supply. The network is powered by a "third rail" which carries the electricity supply to trains. This rail is on the ground, so is far more susceptible to ice than other networks that use overhead power supplies.
A long-awaited deal for the new Merseyrail trains was announced earlier this week, meaning the new Class 777 trains will be rolled out with passengers from Monday, January 23. Mr Rotheram said the city region has invested £500m in the new trains - and suggested they are equipped with "robust technology to better deal with adverse weather conditions". The ECHO understands the new trains will run on the same "third rail" that the current older fleet use.
Mr Rotheram said the "current fleet is no longer befitting of the 21st century network that I want to build for our area". The Metro Mayor added: "It's one of the reasons we've invested in our new publicly-owned trains - which will be the envy of towns and cities across the country - and will, hopefully, put us on the right track to building a network that's faster, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable."
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