Merseyrail to enforce non-folding e-bike ban from 1 January 2027
Merseyrail will enforce a ban on non-folding e-bikes across its network from 1 January 2027, following a safety review of lithium-ion battery fires.
The ban will cover Merseyrail stations, trains, car parks and cycle storage areas. It will include:
- Non-folding e-bikes
- Modified or adapted e-bikes
- E-bike conversion kits
- Detached lithium-ion e-bike batteries carried separately
Merseyrail said battery fires can develop very quickly and with little warning. It said the risk is particularly serious in stations, tunnels and trains, where smoke, heat and toxic gases could be difficult to manage.
Neil Grabham, managing director of Merseyrail, said: "While these incidents remain rare, the risk they pose in a railway environment, particularly one running underground trains, means we can't ignore them."
Merseyrail has announced the ban, but enforcement will begin on 1 January 2027. Until then, it said it would focus on education and give passengers time to make alternative arrangements.
From that date, passengers carrying a prohibited item may be refused entry, asked to leave a train or station, or face a penalty under the Railway Byelaws.
Standard pedal bicycles, folding e-bikes and approved mobility scooters will remain allowed. Powered wheelchairs and mobility aids that meet national size and weight requirements will also continue to be permitted.
Merseyrail said folding e-bikes were judged to present a lower safety concern than non-folding models, and passengers will not have to fold them while travelling.
E-scooters have been banned on the network since 2023. Similar restrictions have also been introduced by other transport operators, including Transport for London, which banned non-folding e-bikes on most of its services from 31 March 2025.
Grabham said: "Keeping our passengers and colleagues safe is our number one priority."
He added: "Like many transport operators across the country, we've been looking closely at the growing number of incidents involving lithium-ion batteries."
Merseyrail said it remained committed to supporting cycling and other forms of active travel across the Liverpool City Region while reducing the risk of a serious battery fire on the railway.
