Most Trains Into Lime Street Disrupted by Sunday Track Works
Sunday is a bad day to turn up at Liverpool Lime Street expecting a normal train. Network Rail says most services into and out of the station will be disrupted by engineering work on the approach.
Why the station is affected
The work is at Mossley Hill, which Network Rail calls a key approach to Lime Street. Crews are strengthening and securing the ballast. That is the stone bed under the track, and the railway has to be closed while it is done.
Few services will reach Lime Street itself, because several operators will end their journeys at other stations. Network Rail has asked passengers to check before they travel.
Who stops where
Four operators will run shortened or diverted services. London Northwestern Railway trains will start and finish at Liverpool South Parkway. TransPennine Express trains between Lime Street and Cleethorpes will turn round at Warrington Central. Northern will run between Hunts Cross and Manchester Oxford Road. Avanti West Coast will keep serving Lime Street, but on an amended timetable and diverted via Earlestown.
East Midlands Railway will run no trains between Lime Street and Sheffield. Passengers are told to use other operators.
Transport for Wales is the one operator where no changes are listed. Travellers are pointed to the National Rail website for the latest information.
Getting into the centre
Replacement buses fill two of the gaps. Northern will have one between Lime Street and Hunts Cross, and TransPennine Express will have one between Warrington Central and Lime Street. Network Rail also says passengers can reach the city centre on Merseyrail.
London Northwestern Railway ticket holders can use other operators' trains between South Parkway and Lime Street at no extra cost. Extra staff will be at Lime Street, the second busiest station in the North West of England, to help people plan their journeys.
Paul Owen of Network Rail thanked people for their patience and said the company is working closely with train operators and Merseyrail on alternative travel options. He acknowledged that there is never an ideal time to close the railway.
Source: BBC News