Merseyrail passengers continue to face significant confusion on the final day of The Open Golf Championship as station display boards and online journey planners fail to show accurate train times. The issues stem from a last-minute decision by staff to call off planned strike action after a new pay deal was offered on Friday.
Strike Averted but Confusion Remains
The RMT union, representing workers on the region's rail network, confirmed that strike action scheduled for the weekend and Monday would not go ahead, averting major disruption for travellers heading to The Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport. Merseyrail had previously announced a revised timetable with no services other than those to the golf course if the strike proceeded. Services are now believed to be running normally, but a hangover from the planned action means station display boards do not show service timetables, and online journey planners are also affected.
An update on Merseyrail's social media on Sunday morning stated: "Following the postponement of strike action this weekend, our website and app journey planners are updating with the reinstated timetable." The post drew dozens of responses from passengers at stations across the region asking when the next available services would be on their line. The ECHO received multiple pictures from different stations showing display boards advising passengers to "please see front of train for destination" instead of displaying the timetable.
Services to The Open
For passengers travelling to The Open, Merseyrail advised: "Merseyrail will be running frequent train services to Hillside, the nearest station for Royal Birkdale. Hillside station is a short five-minute walk from the main spectator entrance to The Open. Easy connections to the Merseyrail northern line are available from across the wider rail network, including Southport, Ormskirk, Headbolt Lane, Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Central stations. Customers arriving at Liverpool Lime Street can make the short 10-minute walk to Liverpool Central to join Merseyrail services to Hillside. Trains are expected to be busier than usual during The Open, so please allow extra time for your journey."
On Sunday, a 20-minute service will run between Southport and Hillside, increasing to a 10-minute service at peak times: 7am–11am towards Hillside and 3.30pm–8pm towards Southport. On the Southport and Hunts Cross lines, a 20-minute service runs from start of service until approximately 8.30pm, then a 40-minute service until end of service. Cressington station sees a 40-minute service throughout the day. The Ormskirk line operates a 40-minute service on Sunday, but no direct services between Ormskirk and Hunts Cross; passengers can change at Moorfields or Liverpool Central. The Headbolt Lane service runs up to two trains an hour through the day, while the Chester and Ellesmere Port lines continue with an amended timetable with slightly different arrival and departure times.
Pay Deal Background
The ECHO reported this week that Merseyrail staff accepted a 7.25% pay increase over two years, backdated to January 2026, which led to the cancellation of the strike. Despite the resolution, the technical issues with display boards and journey planners persist, causing ongoing frustration for passengers on the final day of The Open.
