Tuesday 5 Sep 2017
Bridge upgrades to affect Northern line trains in Liverpool
- Region & Route:
- | North West & Central
Passengers travelling between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Central are being asked to check before they travel this month as two railway bridge upgrades will affect services over two weekends.
Island Road bridge will be replaced and Woolton Road bridge will be refurbished so they remain safe and reliable and require minimal maintenance in future.
The upgrades mean the railway will be closed between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Central from 0005 on Saturday 16 September to 0605 on Monday 18 September; and 0005 on Saturday 23 September until 0605 on Monday 25 September. Buses will replace trains during this time.
The work is part of the Great North Rail Project which is seeing several billion pounds invested in the railway to provide passengers with better, more reliable services cross the north of England.
Sarah Padmore, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “Island Road Bridge had its last major repair over 50 years ago and needs to be fully replaced to ensure it remains safe for decades to come.
“Along with the refurbishment of Woolton Road Bridge, it forms part of our national Railway Upgrade Plan which is delivering a more reliable railway across Britain.
"I appreciate this is disruptive so I’d like to thank local residents and passengers for their patience while we carry out this essential work.”
Andy Heath, operations director from Merseyrail, said: “We are working closely with our partners Network Rail to ensure the smooth running of the Railway Upgrade Plan which will see significant work across the region in coming weeks.
“We hope that our passengers travelling on the Southport – Hunts Cross line will bear with us during this essential refurbishment which forms part of the wider improvements to the railway network.”
To minimise disruption to local residents and businesses, both bridges will be worked on the same time and are due to be completed in November 2017.
The carriageway and footpath running over Island Road Bridge at the junction of Harrington Road will remain closed until November 2017, as agreed with Liverpool City Council, with a clearly signed diversion route in place. Liverpool City Council is contributing to the renewal of Island Road Bridge to meet the highway requirements.
A rail replacement bus service will be operating between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross on these two weekends. For further information please visit the Merseyrail website www.merseyrail.org or www.nationalrail.co.uk
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