Weekend Wirral railway work to impact January journeys

Passengers are being advised of changes to weekend journeys on the Wirral line later this month during essential railway bridge maintenance.

Network Rail is investing £2.3m as part of the Great North Rail Project to upgrade the structure which takes Bridge Road over the railway in West Kirby.

The essential upgrade will take place on the weekends of the 22-23 and 29-30 January and means the railway must close.

On both weekends passengers will be kept on the move by rail replacement buses* between Birkenhead North and West Kirby.

Anyone planning to travel is urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk in advance to see how their journey is affected.

During the work Bridge Road will also be closed to traffic with diversions in place for motorists.

Kathryn Berry, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “The work at Bridge Road is essential to keep the bridge safe and reliable for road users and pedestrians above as well as rail passengers below.“We’re working hard with Wirral Council, Merseytravel and Merseyrail to keep disruption to a minimum. The project does mean the road and railway will have to close over the last two weekends in January. I thank passengers road users and local people in advance for their patience while we carry out this vital work.”

Emma Cowan, finance and transformation director at Merseyrail, said: “The refurbishment of this particular bridge is a vital piece of maintenance that helps to ensure the Merseyrail network remains safe for all that use it.“We appreciate that this will cause some inconvenience for passengers who may need to use a rail replacement service whilst the work is completed, and we thank them for their patience and understanding while this vital work is carried out.“Anyone wishing to travel on this line during these works is advised to check our website and social media before travelling for the latest updates on rail replacement services.”

Work to replace the bridge will take place during a combination of day and night-time shifts. Network Rail has written to residents and will continue to keep people informed throughout the project.

Passengers are urged to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.