Merseyrail is to shut down part of its network over the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend to lay track to serve the new Headbolt Lane station. Tony McDonough reports
Merseyrail will suspend services between Liverpool Central and Kirkby for five days at the end of this month.
From Friday, April 28, to Tuesday, May 2, which covers the Bank Holiday weekend, Network Rail will begin laying track to serve the new Headbolt Lane station. The station is due to open this year.
In order for the work to be carried out the power to the third rail must be switched off on the line. This, says Merseyrail, means it will not be possible to run any services between Liverpool Central and Kirkby.
Passengers can still get to where they need to be via a rail-replacement bus service that will run between Kirkby and Moorfields on these days. It will call at Fazakerley, Rice Lane, Kirkdale, Sandhills and Moorfields.
Passengers can use the journey planner on the Merseyrail website to see the impact on their travel plans. The rail-replacement bus times are listed in the journey planner.
Services on the Kirkby line will return to operation on Wednesday, May 3, from the start of service at 5.43am.
Jane English, acting managing director of Merseyrail, said: “We apologise for the disruption to Kirkby services across these five days, but the work is an essential part of readying the network for the launch of the new station at Headbolt Lane.
“The new station will be a fantastic addition to the Kirkby line, giving thousands of residents in Tower Hill and Northwood far greater and easier access to the Merseyrail network than ever before.”
Work on Headbolt Lane in Kirkby began in March 2022. Plans for the station were first proposed in 1972. Once open later this year it will offer better access to the Merseyrail network for people living in the Tower Hill and Northwood areas of Kirkby.
In December LBN reported that one of the new £500m 777 Class trains travelled for 135km using a battery. In previous tests the trains had managed just 32km. This breakthrough means trains can run to Headbolt Lane without the need for expensive electrification.