Train services cut to every half hour

General views of refurbished stations with new livery trains and passengers. Central station.
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Train services across the Merseyrail network are being reduced to twice an hour due to staff absence caused by the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Services on all lines on the Merseyrail network – including West Kirby – will change to a 30-minute service from 17 January until further notice.

Merseyrail say they hope the cut will avoid last minute cancellations and give passengers time to adjust their travel plans where needed.

Andy Heath, Managing Director at Merseyrail, said: “Our staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure that we can provide a safe and reliable service to the people of the Liverpool City Region.

“However, as is the case on other parts of the UK rail network, the Omicron variant has significantly increased the number of front-line staff being absent from work. This means that we need to reduce the number of trains we run to ensure that our services remain reliable.

“I would advise all customers to check our website and social media feeds before they travel, and we will continue to work hard to provide the best service that we can.”

All lines on the Merseyrail network are affected

Trains will leave West Kirby and Moorfields at 01 and 31 minutes past the hour.

In addition, a bus replacement service will run between West Kirby and Birkenhead North on the weekends of 22/23 and 29/30 January, due to engineering work.

The full timetable can be found at https://www.merseyrail.org/plan-your-journey/30-minute-timetable.aspx