Merseyrail Southport line to be disrupted by closure this summer

A major Merseyrail line will be disrupted for several days this summer as engineers replace an 110-year-old bridge.

Network Rail will spend an estimated five days replacing the bridge crossing the River Alt in Formby with a new concrete structure that they say will be ‘safe and reliable for years to come’.

While the £3.5m project takes place, trains will be unable to run between Hall Road and Formby and rail replacement buses will be in service, affecting journey times all the way up the line to Southport.

Work is scheduled to take place from Monday August 19 to Friday August 23. Journeys on the line between Southport and Liverpool city centre are expected to take an additional 30 minutes.

Rail replacement bus services will be in operation between Hall Road and Formby, calling at all stops, and there will also be ‘non-stop buses’ running between Southport and Hall Road from approximately 6.30am to 9.00am and 4.00pm to 6.30pm on all five days.

A normal timetable will be in operation from the start of service on Saturday August 24 and more information is available via the Merseyrail website.

Suzanne Grant, chief commercial officer and deputy managing director at Merseyrail, said: “We’re sorry that customer journeys will be affected by this engineering work. However, the bridge replacement is essential. We have put a comprehensive rail replacement bus service in place, which will help customers get to where they need to be. During these essential works, customers should allow more time for their journeys.”