No trains as Mad Friday kicks in
MERSEYRAIL has revealed its timetable for the ‘Mad Friday’ strike day – and no services will run from Ormskirk.
The RMT is striking on Friday, December 22, as part of an ongoing dispute into Merseyrail’s plan to remove guards from trains.
The rail company insisted that guards will not be needed on its new fleet of trains, but the union insists guards are critical to passenger safety.
As a result of the strike, train services will be limited on Friday.
Services will begin from Maghull from 7.10am to 11.40am, with a break in the middle of the day. Services will resume at 2.40pm running until 5.40pm.
The last train back leaves Liverpool Central at 6.15pm, arriving at Maghull at 6.36pm.
Because the Arriva strike has been cancelled that day, Arriva buses will also be accepting Merseyrail tickets outside rush hour to help passengers get around.
Trains between Southport and Liverpool Central will run twice an hour in each direction from 7am until 7pm – with a break at lunchtime.
The planned late-night “party train” on the Southport line has already been cancelled.
Andy Heath, managing director at Merseyrail, said: “Firstly, let me start with an apology to you, our customers, who are being inconvenienced at one of the busiest times of the year.
“This latest strike, on the last Friday before Christmas, will target people out doing their lastminute Christmas shopping, having fun with friends at festive events and many commuters on their final day in work before the holiday period starts.
“I promise that my team and I will do all we can to keep disruption to your festive plans to an absolute minimum and endeavour to provide as many trains as we possibly can in these difficult circumstances.”
Trains finish early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve; they do not run on Christmas Day and there will be a limited service to selected stations on the Ormskirk line on Boxing Day.
New Year’s Day is a standard Sunday service.
In case of any changes, be sure to check the timetables before you travel at www.merseyrail.org.
FURTHER preparation for the new Maghull North station will take place between Wednesday, December 27 and Sunday, January 7, meaning rail replacement buses running between Ormskirk and Maghull.
In addition, Sunday, January 7 will see no trains between Sandhills and Hunts Cross, so trains will run only between Maghull and Sandhills.
The weekends of January 13-14 and 20-21 will see further work and once again, rail replacement buses will run between Ormskirk and Maghull stations.
Operator Merseyrail is advising passengers that to reach their destination station at their normal time, they will need to catch the rail replacement bus at their origin station 20 minutes earlier than their usual train.