As Merseyrail continues the rollout of its brand new fleet of Class 777 trains, temporary changes to services during February will affect services operating on the Northern line.

The temporary period of change will allow for preparatory work for the train’s ongoing introduction to go ahead in the most efficient way possible and will see track alterations made in order to accommodate eight-car services at Liverpool Central station.

The temporary changes will see Liverpool Central station closed for Northern Line services from 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February until the end of service on Wednesday the 1st of March.

The temporary changes will see the following services affected:

Hunts Cross line:

• No services will operate from 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February through to the end of service on Wednesday the 1st of March.
• A rail-replacement bus service will run between Moorfields and Hunts Cross and will call at all stations along the Hunts Cross Line.

Southport and Ormskirk line:

• From 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February until 20:00 on Wednesday the 1st of March, services will operate every 20 minutes, starting and terminating at Moorfields.
• From 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February until Wednesday the 1st of March services operating after 20:00 will operate every 30 minutes

Kirkby line:

• From 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February until 20:00 on Wednesday the 1st of March, services will operate every 20 minutes, starting and terminating at Sandhills.
• From 22:00 on Sunday the 26th of February until Wednesday the 1st of March services operating after 20:00 will operate every 30 minutes and start and terminate at Moorfields.

Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby services will start and terminate at Sandhills from 20:00 on Wednesday the 1st of March. A rail replacement bus service will be in operation between Sandhills and Hunts Cross.

From the start of Service on Thursday the 2nd of March all routes will return to normal service.

During this period of work, the Wirral Line will not be affected.

Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail said: “These planned works are a vital part of the modernisation of the Merseyrail network and will enable the continued rollout of the new Class 777 trains.

“We would like to apologise to our passengers for the disruption that is being caused and thank them for their patience while this essential work is being carried out.

“You can be assured that we do not take the decision to close Liverpool Central station to the Northern line lightly, and only after all other options have been exhausted.

“The work will finish as planned on Wednesday night, and all services will be fully operational on Thursday 2 March.”

To find out more information regarding the planned disruption, please visit: https://www.merseyrail.org/plan-your-journey/engineering-works.aspx

Passengers who require assistance travelling between Liverpool Central and Moorfields will need to get in touch with Customer Relations or speak with a staff member at a local station.