The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is activating its winter weather plan after a calamitous start to the year
Passengers at the snow covered Ainsdale Station.(Pic Andrew Teebay).(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Winter weather plans have been activated by transport bosses across the Liverpool City Region in preparation for the impending drop in temperatures. Merseyrail was brought to a standstill amid a cold snap earlier this year and the city region’s Combined Authority partners are putting plans in place to make sure services remain resilient as the cold draws in.
Preparations include making sure grit supplies are topped up and ready to go, checking equipment, updating travel information systems, and ensuring staff are ready to respond quickly to any disruption. Schemes have been months in the planning at Mann Island.
Contingency plans have been drawn up in the event of weather conditions like heavy rain, strong winds, ice, snow and freezing temperatures. These will be implemented across Merseyrail, the region’s bus network and stations, around the Mersey Tunnels and on ferry crossings.
Cllr Steve Foulkes, chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority transport committee, has urged passengers to check before they travel in the event of changing weather situations.
During a freeze in January as snow and ice fell across Merseyside, services across the Merseyrail network were completely suspended for a number of hours, leaving commuters stranded and trying to find other ways to get to work or around the region.
As part of the inquest into what went wrong, Vernon Everitt, Greater Manchester’s transport commissioner, was asked by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to produce an independent assessment of the network and how issues could be fixed.
A series of recommendations have been made which are being adopted in the weeks ahead.
Efforts are focused on preventing the build-up of ice on the third rail, a common cause of winter disruption. This includes running empty ghost trains overnight and early in the mornings to clear the rails, the application of anti-icing agents, and the readiness of rolling stock to operate in the cold.
A snow and ice treatment train (SITT) being deployed on the Merseyrail network(Image: Network Rail)
Bus operators and maintenance teams are preparing their fleets for the cold, while Merseytravel hubs staff are ensuring bus stations and interchanges remain safe and operational, with gritting and snow clearance plans in place.
The Mersey Tunnels Police and Tunnels operations staff will conduct equipment and vehicle checks, gritting the highway and putting in place emergency response procedures for adverse weather.
The Mersey Ferries team will monitor river conditions and weather forecasts closely, with contingency plans for any necessary service changes due to high winds or poor conditions on the River Mersey.
Cllr Foulkes said: “As we move into the colder months of the year, our frontline public transport colleagues are hard at work to keep the network moving.
“We want to thank our staff working on the trains, tunnels, Mersey Tunnel Police, buses, ferries, travel centres, ticket offices and our customer contact centre, for helping keep the city region moving over this period and enabling the public to travel safely to enjoy meeting family and friends.
“Whether travelling for work, leisure, shopping or simply to visit relatives, we would urge passengers to make sure they plan their journeys in advance as there will be changes to services across the city region at this time.”
