Major Merseyrail Engineering Works from 11 October to 6 November: Full Details of Affected Routes and Replacement Bus Services

Merseyrail passengers across Sefton, Liverpool and Wirral are being advised to plan ahead as a major £3.5 million engineering project will affect parts of the rail network for almost four weeks, beginning on Sunday 11 October 2026.

However, passengers are being reassured that the entire Merseyrail network will not be closing, with trains continuing to operate on many routes throughout the engineering programme.

Merseyrail and Network Rail have confirmed that essential improvements will take place between Sunday 11 October and Friday 6 November, with normal services scheduled to resume on Saturday 7 November.

The work will primarily affect the Northern Line between Hunts Cross and Liverpool city centre, although additional changes will be introduced on Sundays, including alterations to services on the Wirral Line.

What engineering work is taking place?

Network Rail is investing £3.5 million to strengthen and waterproof four railway tunnels that carry Northern Line services into Liverpool city centre from the south.

The improvements are designed to prevent water entering the tunnels and interfering with the electrified third rail, which supplies power to trains.

Water entering the railway infrastructure can lead to power failures, emergency speed restrictions and unexpected service cancellations.

Engineers will also install new electrical switching equipment, allowing smaller sections of the railway to be isolated remotely when maintenance or emergency repairs are required.

The investment is intended to improve the reliability of services and reduce unexpected disruption in the future.

How will Northern Line services be affected?

Monday to Saturday, 12 October to 6 November

During the engineering programme, trains will continue operating between:

• Southport and Liverpool Central

• Ormskirk and Liverpool Central

• Headbolt Lane and Liverpool Central

This means passengers travelling from Southport, Hillside, Birkdale, Ainsdale, Freshfield, Formby, Hightown, Hall Road, Blundellsands and Crosby, Waterloo, Seaforth and Litherland, Bootle and other stations along the Southport line will still be able to travel into Liverpool Central from Monday to Saturday.

The main disruption will affect passengers travelling between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross.

Replacement buses will operate between Hunts Cross and Moorfields during the closure.

Passengers travelling beyond Liverpool Central towards Hunts Cross should check their connections and allow additional time.

Important changes on Sundays

Sunday 11, 18 and 25 October and Sunday 1 November

On these four Sundays, the Northern Line closure will extend further north to Sandhills.

Trains will operate between:

• Southport and Sandhills

• Ormskirk and Sandhills

• Headbolt Lane and Sandhills

This means passengers travelling from Formby, Ainsdale, Southport, Crosby and Bootle will still have train services, but trains will terminate at Sandhills rather than continuing into Liverpool city centre.

Replacement buses will operate between Hunts Cross and Sandhills, providing alternative transport for passengers travelling into the city centre.

Anyone planning a Sunday shopping trip, attending an event or travelling to Liverpool for work should check their journey carefully.

Wirral Line changes on Sunday 11 and 18 October

Passengers travelling on the Wirral Line will also experience changes on the first two Sundays of the engineering programme.

Services from New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port will terminate at James Street station.

There will be no Wirral Line trains calling at:

• Moorfields

• Liverpool Lime Street

• Liverpool Central

Passengers requiring these stations will need to make alternative arrangements.

Important accessibility information: Services from New Brighton and Ellesmere Port will use Platform 2 at James Street on these dates. This platform does not have lift access.

Passengers requiring step free access are advised to change at Hamilton Square for a Chester or West Kirby service. An accessible bus will also operate between Hamilton Square and Moorfields every 30 minutes.

Further Wirral Line changes on Sunday 25 October and 1 November

Additional engineering arrangements will affect Wirral Line services on the final two Sundays.

Trains will operate between:

• Chester and Ellesmere Port services and Rock Ferry

• West Kirby and New Brighton services and Birkenhead North

Replacement buses will operate between Rock Ferry and Moorfields, and between Birkenhead North and Moorfields.

Passengers travelling between Wirral and Liverpool should allow additional time and check their connections before setting off.

What about passengers travelling from Formby, Crosby, Ainsdale and Southport?

For passengers using the Southport Line, the important message is that train services will continue throughout the engineering programme, but Sunday journeys into Liverpool city centre will be affected.

From Monday to Saturday, passengers will still be able to travel directly between Southport and Liverpool Central, including services calling at Formby, Freshfield, Ainsdale, Crosby, Waterloo and Bootle.

On Sundays, services will terminate at Sandhills, where passengers will need to use alternative transport to continue into Liverpool city centre.

The changes may also affect passengers making onward connections to other parts of the Merseyrail network.

Check live train departures on the Formby Bubble App

Passengers can also make use of a helpful feature available exclusively through the Formby Bubble App, which includes a live train departure board.

The feature allows users to check live train departure information, making it useful for everyday rail journeys, commuting, shopping trips and travelling across the wider railway network.

With engineering work taking place over the coming weeks, having access to live departure information can be particularly helpful when planning journeys or checking whether trains are running on time.

The live train departure board is available on the Formby Bubble App, which can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Passengers should remember that live departure information is best used alongside official engineering notices, particularly when replacement bus services are operating.

When will normal services resume?

Merseyrail and Network Rail have confirmed that the engineering programme is scheduled to finish on Friday 6 November.

Normal train services are expected to resume on Saturday 7 November 2026.

Passengers are encouraged to check the latest information before travelling, particularly on Sundays when the most significant changes will take place.

Full details of the engineering programme, including journey planning information and replacement transport arrangements, are available on the official Merseyrail website⁠.

The £3.5 million investment is part of ongoing efforts to improve the reliability of Merseyrail services and reduce the likelihood of unexpected closures in the future.