Starting on Saturday, July 1, and lasting six weeks, Merseyrail reveals details of disruption to Kirkby Line during work around the new Headbolt Lane station. Tony McDonough reports
Passengers on Merseyrail’s Kirkby line will face disruption for six weeks from Saturday (July 1) as preparatory work for the new Headbolt Lane station gets under way.
Work on Headbolt Lane in Kirkby began in March 2022. Plans for the station were first proposed in 1972. Once open it will offer better access to the Merseyrail network for people living in the Tower Hill and Northwood areas of Kirkby.
Merseyrail is advising passengers to plan their journeys carefully during the period of the works which will last until Sunday, August 13. The impact on services is as follows:
Saturday, July 1to Sunday, July 9 No trains will run between Kirkby and Liverpool Central. Rail replacement buses will operate between Kirkby and Moorfields, calling at all stations.
To prevent trains on the Ormskirk line from becoming crowded, additional services will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central at peak times from Monday to Friday. Passengers who normally use Rice Lane station should use Walton station instead.
Monday, July 10, to Sunday, August 13 a limited train service will operate every 45 minutes between Fazakerley and Liverpool Central, calling at all stations.
A rail replacement bus service will operate between Kirkby, Fazakerley and Aintree. At peak hours including early morning services, there will be an express rail replacement bus service between Kirkby and Moorfields, calling at Fazakerley and Rice Lane only.
From Monday, August 14, a normal timetable is expected to operate. All rail replacement bus times are available in the journey planner at merseyrail.org.
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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.”