Merseyrail to finally introduce eight-car train services

Merseyrail is finally set to introduce eight-car train services on its network.

Transport authority, Merseytravel, invested £500m in its new Class 777 trains built by Swiss trains maker Stadler, but has been unable to operate a full rush-hour service with the new fleet due to problems at its three major stations – Southport, Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross.

It was discovered that eight-car peak hour trains overlapped the signalling system at these stations, which meant that points behind the trains could not be set properly to allow the new rolling stock to manoeuvre.

Since the Class 777 fleet first ran on Merseyrail routes on January 23, 2023 – three years behind schedule – only four-car services have been able to operate.

Following extensive engineering works at the affected stations, the line is now able to support eight-car trains, from August 25.

However, Northern Line passengers will see some temporary changes to services as part of the phased introduction of the final part of the roll-out. 

From Sunday 25 August, Southport line services will start and terminate at Liverpool Central. The all-day 15-minute service between Liverpool Central and Southport will remain in place.

Customers travelling on the Southport line between Southport and Hunts Cross should change trains at Liverpool Central.

Ormskirk line services will now call at all stations to Hunts Cross. Trains from Hunts Cross will call at all stations to Ormskirk. All services between Ormskirk and Hunts Cross will run at a 15-minute frequency during the day, and a 30-minute frequency in the evening and all day on Sundays.

Customers on the Ormskirk line will now be able to travel direct to all stations between Ormskirk and Hunts Cross. Previously, trains terminated at Liverpool Central.

Headbolt Lane line services will be unaffected.

Train times will be slightly amended to fit in with the temporary calling pattern and customers are advised to check journey times at merseyrail.org or via the Merseyrail app before they travel.

An announcement about when the normal timetable and services will be resumed will be made in due course as the eight-car trains are rolled out.

Neil Grabham, Managing Director of Merseyrail, said: “I’m pleased to say that the new fleet roll out programme is nearing completion.

“We know that the Southport line is particularly busy, especially at this time of year. So, it’s great that we can significantly increase capacity to meet the needs of our customers.

“However, these temporary changes will mean that some customers will need to make changes to their regular journeys.”

He added: “I’d like to apologise for the alterations and thank people for their patience.

“We would encourage all customers travelling on this part of our network over the coming weeks to familiarise themselves with the temporary arrangements and plan ahead.”