Changes to Ormskirk and Southport timetables from Monday in preparation for new Merseyrail train roll out

Following the introduction of the first of the new Class 777 trains on to the Merseyrail network, further temporary timetable changes are being made to the Ormskirk, Southport and Hunts Cross lines to assist with the phased roll out of the ground-breaking new fleet of trains.

From Monday 6 March, there will be minor changes to these Merseyrail timetables to support driver training.

These changes are as follows;

Ormskirk line: On Monday-Friday, three trains from Ormskirk to Liverpool Central will be cancelled (09:34, 11:04, 15:04). Two trains from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk will be cancelled (10:16 and 14:16). The 11:46 and 15:46 trains from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk will start at Walton rather than Liverpool Central.

On Saturdays, four trains from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk will be cancelled (08:01, 09:31, 12:01, 13:31), and four trains from Ormskirk to Liverpool Central will be cancelled (08:49, 10:19, 12:49, 14:19).

Also on Saturdays, the 11:01 and 15:01 Liverpool Central to Ormskirk services will start at Walton rather than Liverpool Central.

There are no cancellations on Sundays.

Southport line: On Monday-Friday, three trains from Hunts Cross to Southport will be cancelled (12:51, 15:21, 19:06). Three trains from Southport to Hunts Cross will be cancelled (14:13 17:58 20:28).

There are no cancellations on the Southport line on Saturdays or Sundays.

The Kirkby line, which had seen a reduction of services to assist the roll out of new trains, will now see a full reinstatement, returning to a train every 15 minutes through the day, up to 19:43. Services will resume on Monday 6 March.

Passengers should use the journey planner at merseyrail.org or use the Merseyrail App for the latest information.

Further announcements will be made ahead of the start of the roll out of the fleet on these lines so passengers will know exactly when to expect their new trains.

Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail, said:

“Our driver training programme will be moving across to the Ormskirk line as we move towards the next exciting phase of the roll out of the new trains.

“This does mean a temporary reduction in the frequency of services on the Ormskirk and Southport line while this happens, but we will ensure that a full timetable can be restored as soon as possible.

“We apologise for any inconvenience that this temporary reduction in frequency will cause passengers and look forward to our Ormskirk line passengers experiencing the ground-breaking new trains in the near future.”

Elsewhere a milestone will soon be reached in the phased introduction of the new Class 777 trains on the Merseyrail network, as the first stage on the Kirkby line has now been completed.

The full 15-minute service throughout is due to be reinstated from Monday 6 March. This means all trains on the Kirkby line from this date would be Class 777s. Sunday services will continue, as usually to operate every 30-minutes.

The focus will now shift on to the Ormskirk line, which will be the next part of the Merseyrail network to receive the new trains.

Since the introduction of the Class 777s on the Kirkby line in January, passengers have been fulsome in their praise of the new trains. Many have been hugely impressed with the improved design, layout and high-tech features such as air conditioning, wifi and electric charging points.

Kirkby will also be getting another huge leap in infrastructure when a new station at Headbolt Lane opens later this year, which will be served by battery powered class 777 trains and among the first services in the UK to use the technology.