Escalators at four Merseyrail stations will be replaced in a £12.5m investment by Network Rail. Tony McDonough reports

Network Rail will invest £12.5m to replace the escalators at four Merseyrail stations.

Over the next three years the escalators at Liverpool Lime Street, Moorfields, James Street and Hamilton Square will be replaced. They have reached the end of their life. Work will make sure the escalators are safe and reliable for passengers for years to come.

Each escalator will take more than 20 weeks to replace due to the specialist and detailed nature of the work. To keep passengers on the move, one escalator per station will be done at a time.

Rebecca Rathore, Network Rail North West route strategy director, said: “We’re investing £12.5m into the Merseyrail escalator network to give passengers a smoother and more reliable journey experience.

“Replacing escalators takes a long time as it requires specialist engineers and equipment. We’re doing one escalator at a time per station to keep passengers on the move as much as possible.

“Passengers who would usually rely on escalators to travel are advised to use the station lifts. I’d like to thank passengers for their patience during the work.”

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Work to renew the first of six escalators is taking place at Liverpool Lime Street. Work starts at Moorfields station in August. Additionally, some of the escalators at Moorfields have been damaged by rain.

Engineers expect this work to be started by the end of September and completed by early 2025. The whole project will be completed by 2027.