- Aug 31, 2017
- 3 min read

Strike action on Merseyrail on Friday 1st September, Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th will effect Formby tr

Unfortunately due to strike action by guard members of the RMT union, a reduced train service will run across the Merseyrail network on Friday 1st September, Sunday 3rd September and Monday 4th September.Trains will run from around 07:00 - 19:00 on Friday 1st and Monday 4th September and from around 08:00 - 19:00 on Sunday 3rd September. For a few hours in the middle of the day, there will be no trains.

Some stations will be closed, a full list and detailed timetables are below.

PLEASE NOTE:

There will be no trains running on the Ellesmere Port, Hunts Cross and Kirkby lines.

If you cannot make your journey by train on strike days, alternative travel information can be found at www.merseytravel.gov.uk/railstrike

Additional services will now run in addition to those timetabled on our Southport line tomorrow morning, calling at select stations.

Southport to Hunts Cross via Liverpool

There will be no trains between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross.

Trains will not call at Aigburth, Bank Hall, Bootle Oriel Road, Brunswick, Cressington, Freshfield, Hall Road, Hunts Cross, Liverpool South Parkway, Sandhills and St Michaels stations.

Hunts Cross to Southport via Liverpool

There will be no trains between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Central.

Trains will not call at Aigburth, Bank Hall, Bootle Oriel Road, Brunswick, Cressington, Freshfield, Hall Road, Hunts Cross, Liverpool South Parkway, Sandhills and St Michaels stations.

A message from Merseyrail's Managing Director

Jan 250I am sorry that your journey will be disrupted again by the strikes called by the RMT union, who continue their campaign against the staffing arrangements for the new trains. The Liverpool City Region needs and deserves these new trains − they will be modern, safer, faster and more reliable than the ones they replace, with the capacity to support economic growth. But they will not require the role of the traditional guard. There are many mainline and metro trains in the UK and abroad that already operate like this.

Three points are often raised about trains that do not need guards.

The first is about closing the doors and despatching the train. A report from the Rail Safety and Standards Board published in July, using many years’ worth of actual accident and incident data, said, “… there is no additional risk for passengers boarding and alighting DCO/DOO trains, and indeed that trains without a guard actually appear to lower overall dispatch related safety risk to passengers.” The report is here: www.merseyrail.org/RSSB-Report.

Secondly, personal security of passengers on-board. We will continue to employ all the security officers, on-board cleaners, by-law enforcement officers and revenue protection officers that we have today.

Stations in the City Region will still be staffed from first train to last. In addition, there will be a new team of 60 on board officers, who will patrol the trains, focusing on the routes and times when passengers need them most. They won’t have to operate the doors, nor will they need to stay in the rear cab when the train is in the underground. So they will be able to provide a more visible and reassuring presence within the train. We’ve offered to the RMT that every train after 20:00 will have a member of staff on board for the whole journey.

Thirdly, looking after disabled passengers. Today, it is nearly always our station staff that help disabled passengers to get on and off trains, not the guards. The new trains will have level access between platform and train, with an intelligent sliding step that comes out of the train as the doors open. This will make getting on and off easy for people in wheelchairs, as well as passengers with pushchairs and bikes.

Bearing in mind none of our permanent guards will be forced to leave Merseyrail, I believe these strikes are really unnecessary.