Bargain £2 return tickets on Merseyrail line from this weekend

Passengers travelling on Merseyrail’s Headbolt Lane line can buy a return ticket for a reduced price from this weekend.

From Saturday (July 13), it will cost just £2 for a return from Headbolt Lane, Kirkby and Fazakerley to Moorfields and Liverpool Central. Valid for weekend travel, the offer is available to all new and returning customers as a ‘goodwill’ gesture after a series of issues following the roll out of Merseyrail’s new publicly-owned fleet.

The first journey of the £500m fleet of Class 777s last January was highly anticipated, but brought with it delays, breakdowns and subsequent pay outs to frustrated customers. Breakdowns and cancellations intensified after the opening of the new Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby last October, and hundreds of the passengers using the Headbolt Lane were invited to claim their money back.

Hoping to win back favour from frustrated customers, the reduced-price tickets have been paid for by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority using funds recovered from train manufacturer Stadler.

The Combined Authority has been working together with Stadler, Merseyrail and Network Rail to improve the availability and performance of the new trains, which have recently returned to a four trains an hour service to the Headbolt Lane line, with last week’s performance measure of over 94% among the best on the network.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The new Headbolt Lane station is a fantastic new, fully accessible facility delivered by an £80m investment by the Combined Authority. There have been a few teething issues with the new trains serving it, so I wanted to make a gesture of goodwill to thank people for sticking with us.

“While I cannot undo the disruption that passengers have already faced, I hope this gesture demonstrates our appreciation for their patience and understanding. As promised, the performance of the trains has been much better of late and should only continue to improve, offering the world class service local people deserve for years to come.

“I’m really proud of the work I’ve done to improve and expand the local transport network. We’ve frozen bus and rail fares, taken back control of our buses, rolled out the country’s best local trains, and opened two new train stations with four more to follow. We are well on the way in our journey to building the most comprehensive integrated transport network anywhere outside of London.”