From Monday, 2nd May, train services across most of the Merseyrail network will operate a 15-minute service.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the impact the virus had on staffing numbers, Merseyrail services were reduced.

However, now that restrictions have been removed and more staff are available, the rail operator is pleased has announced that services are returning to their pre-COVID frequency.

The changes are as follows:

Southport line:

• Trains will run every 15 minutes from the start to the end of service.

Ellesmere Port line:

• Trains will run every 30 minutes from the start to the end of service every day.
• On Mondays to Fridays, additional trains will run between 07:15 and 08:30 for the morning peak and 16:30 and 17:30 for the evening peak.

All other lines:

• Trains will run every 15 minutes between approximately 07:00 and 19:00, with a 30-minute service operating outside of these hours.

Sundays:

• A 30-minute service will run across all lines.

Until now, a 20-minute service has been running, using six-car trains as much as possible to increase capacity. From Monday, 2nd May, Merseyrail will returning to a 15-minute service across the network with a mixture of three and six-car trains.

Full timetable information can be found here.

Andy Heath, Managing Director at Merseyrail, said: “I’m thrilled that we are able to announce a return to a 15-minute service across most of our network. We have worked hard throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver the most reliable service possible to the people of the Liverpool City Region.

“Our customers have been incredibly patient during this time, and I thank them for that as we adapted to a very challenging set of circumstances because of the pandemic.”