Commuters in south Liverpool faced confusion over tickets on the first day of a four-week suspension of Merseyrail services between Hunts Cross and Moorfields. Many passengers were unaware they had to purchase tickets at stations before boarding replacement buses, leading to frustration and missed departures.
Engineering work suspends Northern Line services
Trains are suspended between Hunts Cross and Moorfields on the Northern Line until Saturday November 7. The disruption is caused by essential engineering work as part of a £3.5m project to strengthen and waterproof four tunnels that bring services into Liverpool from the south of the city.
At local stations, a steady drip of people arrived to catch a train only to find a sign explaining the suspension of services. Some had no idea about the month-long disruption, while the majority were aware of the engineering work but confused about what was replacing the trains and how to pay for it.
Replacement buses and ticket issues
Merseyrail is operating rail replacement buses to serve affected stations, including Hunts Cross, Liverpool South Parkway, Cressington, Aigburth, St Michaels, Brunswick and Moorfields. Liverpool Central is on the route but is not covered by the replacement buses. The operator previously confirmed that replacement buses will run as closely as possible to the usual train timetable, although journeys will take longer than usual rail routes.
Frustration was particularly high at stations like St Michaels and Aigburth, where buses cannot reach the stations due to narrow, dead-end roads, and replacement bus stops are a walk away. Some commuters said it had not been made clear that they could not buy tickets on the bus itself and were told to return to the train station to purchase a ticket or tap their phone using the tap and go function.
One traveller called Luke said he had walked about seven minutes from St Michaels station to the Aigburth Road stop, but was told to walk back to the station to buy a ticket, then make the trip a third time back to the bus stop. At Brunswick Station, a number of people were turned away by a replacement bus driver after being told they needed to pay for a ticket from the train ticket office. The bus then departed before some passengers could return after paying. One commuter who made it back in time described the ticket-buying process as "a bit stupid."
Merseyrail's guidance for passengers
A Merseyrail spokesperson said: "We recognise that customers may have questions about travelling during the engineering works, particularly where rail replacement buses operate away from the station.
"Rail replacement bus stop maps are available on station pages on our website to help customers find the correct boarding location, and additional staff are available across the network to provide help and support.
"Passengers should purchase a ticket from a station ticket office or ticket vending machine as usual, and these will be accepted on the rail replacement bus service.
"Tap & Go users should tap in at their usual departure station and where possible tap out at their destination station to ensure they are charged the correct fare for their journey through Tap & Go. If it is not possible to tap out, passengers can register on the Metrosmart website and add their missing tap to their account.
"We have issued guidance via the Merseyrail website, station signage and on our App to confirm how to travel during the engineering works."
