Merseyrail is to reduce services running from two of the region's stations in what it says is a bid to 'improve reliability and reduce disruption'
From Monday August 22, the region's rail operator will reduce the frequency of trains at Green Lane and Bromborough Rake stations in Wirral from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes. All other stations on the Chester and Ellesmere Port lines are unaffected. The move has understandably gone down badly with those living close to the affected stations.
Merseyrail says it is making the changes to the timetable in order to 'to improve the reliability of services and reduce the levels of disruption that have been seen in recent months. The operator said the move 'will mean a more reliable service for all passengers.'
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Merseyrail said reducing the frequency at the two stations with the lowest footfall means it can make improvements to improve the punctuality of services on the Chester line. A statement from the company said: "A more frequent train service (six trains per hour Monday – Saturday 07:30 -19:00) is available at other stations near to Bromborough Rake and Green Lane for those who may require it. For additional services Bromborough Rake passengers can use adjacent stations Bromborough or Spital, and Green Lane passengers can use adjacent stations Birkenhead Central or Rock Ferry if required."
Andy Heath, Managing Director of Merseyrail, said: “We know that customers on the Chester line have been affected by an increasing number of trains running semi-fast and therefore not calling at some stations as planned.
“We are making this change to our timetable to ensure that we can provide the most reliable service possible for our passengers on this part of the network. Making decisions like this is never easy and in doing so we have sought to inconvenience the smallest number of people possible, whilst considering the available nearby stations as an alternative option.
“We are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause. I would encourage those who may need a more frequent service to travel from one of the nearby stations which are not affected by this change.”
Passengers who regularly use the two stations vented their frustration on social media. Responding to Merseyrail's announcement, Bobby said: "How are you improving services by reducing services? I don’t understand why you can’t run normal services during peak times. I use Bromborough Rake to get to and from work, apparently you don’t care about these passengers."
Mark Brooks said: "Brilliant thinking, services already rubbish to Bromborough Rake, now even less services stopping here, why don't you just go the whole hog and close it down, cut us off completely?" Another twitter user added: "'In order to improve our service to you, we're going to make it worse."
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