Final phase of Merseyrail Wirral line work begins
From today there will be a three-week cross-river rail closure, during the week and at weekends, in order to allow for the third and final phase of the Wirral loop line track renewal project.
Network Rail has been carrying out improvements on the Merseyrail Wirral loop line and under river track since January, in three phases.
For the next 20 days all Wirral line trains will start and terminate at Birkenhead North and Birkenhead Central. Express rail replacement buses will run between these stations and Liverpool. No trains will run cross river to and from Liverpool.#
The work is expected to complete by 19 June.
During phase three, travellers also need to take into account the following information:
- Wirral Dock bridges: Current works to replace two of the old ‘four bridges’ along the A554 Tower Road in Wirral means there is no through-route along this road until the end of 2017. Seacombe ferry terminal, the Mersey Ferries and the 12 Quays Terminal can still be accessed by following diversion routes, but be prepared to allow longer for your journey. More information is available on Wirral Borough Council
- Mersey Tunnels: Tunnel flows have changed recently with an increase in traffic and longer peak periods, due to a combination of various roadworks on major routes in Liverpool City Centre, Tower Road, Wirral and the Runcorn/Widnes area, impacting on traffic using the Silver Jubilee Bridge. This potentially puts the tunnels at risk of even greater congestion during the final phase of track renewal. Merseyrail is advising where possible, don’t use the car, use public transport
Martin Bell, Network Rail project manager, said: “We are now entering the third and final phase of the work to refurbish the track under the river bed. The work to renew the track on the Wirral loop is now complete.
“This final phase involves replacing traditional ballasted railway track that runs beneath the River Mersey that is getting a new lease of life. We thank passengers for their patience during this renewal programme and look forward to completing the project in June.”
For more information visit https://www.merseyrail.org/wirral-track-renewal/phase-3.aspx