Merseyrail issued a warning about the station earlier this week
A train at Moorfields(Image: Merseyrail)
The reason why the main entrance to a Liverpool rail station was closed earlier this week has been revealed. Moorfields is located on both the Northern and lines on the network. It is the third busiest station on the Merseyrail network and its largest underground station.
It is accessed from two different entrances, one at Moorfields and the other at the corner of Old Hall Street and Tithebarn Street. The main entrance at Moorfields was closed for three days from Saturday November 10 until yesterday (November 11) and has now reopened. Merseyrail said on X this was due to “issues with both sets of escalators.”
The temporary closure came a few months after the escalators were reopened in February following a lengthy wait. Anti-social behaviour and misuse led to the escalators outside Moorfields being out of action for almost two years.
What was initially supposed to be a month’s work to repair faulty parts at the Merseyrail station dragged on after being beset by delays. The escalators and main entrance have been temporarily closed several times since for repairs, most recently this week.
The maintenance of the escalators is the responsibility of Liverpool City Council. The ECHO asked the council if issues with the escalators remain.
However, a spokesperson for the local authority said it was a lighting fault by the escalators which led to the main entrance being “temporarily closed for safety reasons”. They added it was working on a permanent fix.
The escalators at Moorfields train station(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A major renovation is currently underway at the station. Every morning thousands of commuters pass through Moorfields, making their way into the city’s main business district.
But in recent years the station has been looking tired, with faulty infrastructure causing concern.
The station was built in the 1970s as a replacement for Liverpool Exchange railway station and officially opened in 1977.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority confirmed in July that it will pump £1m into giving the important commuter station a facelift.
This will be the first phase of a wider approach aimed at a transformation of the station. The first phase of work will see a refresh of the station’s appearance and accessibility.
The new works will include new cladding, energy-efficient LED lighting, enhanced signage, a covered staircase, and secure, relocated cycle storage.
Transport bosses said the project represents the first phase of a broader vision to modernise Moorfields station.
Work is already underway to develop ‘a more ambitious, long-term transformation’ that reflects the station’s importance to Liverpool’s commercial heart.
