Because of the disruption to services on Merseyrail‘s Kirkby line last year, as a goodwill gesture, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced that passengers could be entitled to receive their money back.

Although three trains per hour now operate on the Kirkby line, the Mayor wanted to recognise the patience and understanding shown by passengers as the new £500m fleet of trains were being introduced.

A letter providing information about how to claim their money back in full will be sent to all passengers who purchased a weekly, monthly, term-time, or annual ticket in 2023 at Fazakerley, Kirkby, or Headbolt Lane stations.

It is also recognised that journeys by non-Railpass holders will also have been affected, and more details about arrangements for those customers will be provided as soon as possible.

In January 2023, Kirkby was the first Merseyrail line to see the network’s new trains. Last October, the Mayor opened the town’s new £80m station at Headbolt Lane, which is served by battery-powered versions of the new trains.

As often happens when any new major infrastructure project is introduced, there have been a number of teething issues and disruption while the new fleet has been rolled out. Mayor of the Liverpool City Region met train manufacturer Stadler last November, and made abundantly clear that he was greatly dissatisfied with how services were being disrupted.

Mayor Rotheram demanded that improvements should be made that were sustainable, and urged train operator Merseyrail to explore every avenue to minimise disruption. Merseyrail have stated that it hopes to restore a full 15-minute timetable to the Kirkby line as soon as possible.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “It’s been a transformational 12 months for our local rail network. From launching the country’s first publicly owned trains in a generation to opening the new £80m Headbolt Lane station – we are creating a brighter, better connected future for our region’s railways.

“However, being a pioneer hasn’t come without its challenges. We anticipated that we would encounter some teething issues and disruption during the delivery of our new station and trains, but I’ll be the first to say that services on the Kirkby line have fallen short of the standards that our passengers deserve.

“While I cannot undo the disruption that passengers have already faced, I hope this gesture demonstrates our appreciation for their patience and understanding. I want to reassure passengers that we are working around the clock to overcome these challenges and we are already seeing sustainable improvements.

“It is my belief that these issues will soon be behind us and passengers will be able to enjoy decades of reliable service from one of the most sophisticated and accessible fleets in the country.”