Work is taking place to get Kirkby station in Liverpool reopened to passengers as soon as possible after an incident involving a Merseyrail train.
The 6.35pm service from Liverpool to Kirkby ran through the buffer stop on Saturday 13 March and left the track at the end of the line.
Over recent days the rear carriages of the train have been taken away from the station.
The front carriage which ran through the buffer stop is taking longer as its wheels could be damaged. This means it needs to be removed by a specialist recovery locomotive.
Video released shows the damaged Merseyrail train slowly being pulled back onto rails yesterday evening.
Once it is out of the station Network Rail engineers will be able to properly assess damage to track, the platform surface and signalling system and set out the repair plan.
The best case scenario would see Merseyrail trains running again from the middle of next week, and Northern services from Monday 29 March.*
Phil James, route director for Network Rail’s north west route, said: “Following Saturday’s incident in Kirkby, we’re working with Merseyrail and Northern to reopen the station as quickly as possible to passengers.
“This is complex recovery and repair job and I’d like to thank passengers for their patience. I’d urge anyone who needs to travel to or from Kirkby to check with their train operator for the latest information.”
Andy Heath, managing director at Merseyrail, said: “We are working closely with our partners at Network Rail to reopen Kirkby station as soon as possible following Saturday evening’s incident and understand the inconvenience this has placed on our passengers.
“I would like to remind passengers that if they wish to travel to Fazakerley or Kirkby they should board Ormskirk services to Aintree where a rail replacement bus service is in operation calling at Fazakerley and Kirkby stations.”
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “We’re working closely with colleagues across the rail industry to keep our customers on the move and we’re grateful to Network Rail for their efforts in helping to reopen Kirkby as soon as possible.
“In the meantime, our customers can continue to travel between Kirkby and Wigan, though we are operating buses between Kirkby and Rainford while the repair work is carried out.”
The ongoing repairs means both Northern and Merseyrail services are unable to serve Kirkby station with rail replacement buses in operation to keep people on the move.
For the latest developments Merseyrail passengers can check www.merseyrail.org/kirkby-line-latest-update.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of the derailment and the Rail Accident Investigations Branch will report its findings in due course.
Passengers who need to travel should continue to follow government COVID-19 guidance when using public transport and check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
*The railway line at Kirkby station is effectively split in two – one half serving Merseyrail to the west and the other serving Northern to the east.
The buffer stop separates Merseyrail’s electrified track from Northern’s non-electrified track.
Because the train ran through the buffer stop it damaged the track on which Northern’s diesel services run and that will take longer to repair.
It’s estimated Northern services will be able to serve Kirkby again from Monday 29 March.
Photo and video credit: Network Rail
