The managing director of Merseyrail has issued an apology for the disruption commuters have faced due to faults with their trains.
Andy Heath said he was “truly, truly sorry” for the inconvenience caused by changes to the timetables on Merseyrail lines as the operator announced an “unexpected” increase in wear on train wheel bearings. The managing director couldn’t confirm however when services would return to normal.
Commuters’ plans have been thrown into chaos by the changes with rail replacement buses being used on certain lines. From Monday June 13, trains will run on the Kirkby and New Brighton lines, after a week of rail replacement buses running.
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However there will be changes to train times and frequency on a number of lines. A reduced capacity 30 minute service will run on the Ormskirk, Kirkby, Hunts Cross, New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port lines.
Trains will run every 15 minutes between Southport and Liverpool Central. In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Heath said: “I’d like to offer my sincere apologies to our passengers for the disruption that the unexpected and significant increase in wheel bearing faults on our trains is causing.
“We know that the further changes to our timetable that we’re announcing will add inconvenience and delay into the journeys for people of the city region and for that we are truly, truly sorry. I’d also like to reassure our passengers that we are working closely with our partners and industry experts to resolve this issue, with progress being monitored daily.
“As soon as it will be possible, we will return to our normal, reliable 15-minute timetable. While this work is taking place, everyone at Merseyrail is 100% committed to providing the best possible service to ensure that we keep the people of the Liverpool City Region moving.”
Mr Heath said the rail replacement buses operating next week would be “timed to minimise waiting times for passengers” and called on commuters to allow more time for their journeys to be completed. He added: “Currently we are working hard with our train operators Stadler to resolve the issues we’re experiencing.
“While we are hoping that these issues are short term, their nature means that we aren’t able to say at this stage how long the changes will remain in place. What I can say, is that this timetable will remain in place until further notice.
“As trains are repaired, they will be used to strengthen services where required, including providing six cars at peak times.” Mr Heath said the issue was “unusual” for Merseyrail’s fleet and would usually only expect to experience two instances of such an issue per month, but in the last two weeks “several” occurrences have been identified, leading to a full fleet test being undertaken.
In the video, Mr Heath said the trains were “categorically” safe and thanked people for their patience.
During a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said he totally understood the frustration of commuters and they "quite rightly" felt the inconvenience of not being able to get trains. He has met with Merseyrail chiefs and “expressed concerns in the strongest possible terms", adding "we can only all apologise" and vowed to "burn the midnight oil" to get the new £500m fleet online.
