Merseyrail treats 75 miles of tracks overnight to prevent ice build-up as Weather Warning continues

Cold weather mitigation plans are set to be repeated for a second night on the Merseyrail network as cold temperatures remain across the region from Tuesday 17 January into Wednesday 18 January.

The first night of cold weather, Monday 16 January, saw mitigation plans triggered resulting in a good and reliable service for most commuters on Tuesday morning.

As temperatures remain below freezing and following another yellow weather warning by the met office, Merseyrail will once again take steps to protect commuter services on Wednesday morning.

Tracks on the 75-mile Merseyrail network will be treated overnight to protect them from ice build-up, while station staff will ensure that platforms and car parks are well gritted, so they are safe for passengers.

The plan also means that the first services of the day on each line will run without passengers. Ice on the third rail can cause trains to become stranded so some first trains of the day will run empty to ensure routes are cleared.

Passengers are being advised to check the latest updates before they travel on Wednesday morning.

The following changes will be in place from the start of service;

Chester and Ellesmere Port lines: The first train of the day from Hooton (05:39 to Liverpool Central) will be cancelled.

The first train of the day from Ellesmere Port (06:17 to Liverpool Central) will only be in passenger service from Hooton onwards.

The first train of the day from Chester (05:55 to Liverpool Central) will only be in passenger service from Hooton onwards.

Southport line: The first train of the day from Sandhills (05:59 to Southport) will be cancelled.

New Brighton line: The first train of the day (05:53 to Liverpool Central) will be cancelled. The 06:16 Moorfields to New Brighton is cancelled.

West Kirby line: The first train of the day (05:51 to Liverpool Central) will be cancelled. The 06:21 Moorfields to West Kirby is cancelled.

The first train of the day from Southport (05:37 to Hunts Cross) will only be in passenger service from Sandhills onwards.

The first service from Sandhills to Hunts Cross is unaffected.

Hunts Cross line: The first train of the day from Hunts Cross (06:01 to Southport) will only be in passenger service from Liverpool Central onwards.

Ormskirk line: First train of the day (05:49 to Liverpool Central) will be cancelled.

Kirkby line: First train of the day (05:43 to Liverpool Central) will be cancelled.

Passengers should check before they travel by using the Merseyrail app, website (https://www.merseyrail.org/) or Twitter account (@merseyrail).

Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail, said:

“We were pleased with how our cold weather mitigation plans worked on Monday night and Tuesday morning. While there were some minor disruptions on some lines, the vast majority of our trains ran as scheduled.

“We were able to get thousands of commuters from across the Liverpool city region into work on time, and services operated well throughout Tuesday 17 January.

“However, we aren’t resting on our laurels and want to ensure that trains on Wednesday 18 January are equally as reliable as they were today.

“Merseyrail and Network Rail staff will be working on the railway overnight to ensure that the start of services are as smooth as possible for our passengers.”

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