Merseyrail will cut Cressington services from every 15 minutes to every 40 minutes between 16 and 19 July, and passengers in south Liverpool will feel the change during Liverpool weather linked to The Open. The event timetable covers a four-day stretch while the 154th Open draws thousands to Royal Birkdale.
The railway said its larger eight-car trains are needed to handle extra demand on the Merseyrail network, but those trains cannot stop at Cressington because of a shorter platform. Merseyrail said the event timetable was the safest and most practical way to maintain services for local passengers while supporting the significant increase in demand during this major international event.
Cressington platform limit
The service cut is tied to a practical constraint at Cressington. Eight-car trains cannot stop there, so Merseyrail has moved to an event timetable instead of keeping the usual 15-minute frequency.
Merseyrail has tested larger vehicles stopping at Cressington in recent months, but trackside beacons still were not working correctly, according to Richard Clein. That leaves the station unable to handle the larger trains now being used elsewhere to meet demand for The Open and the wider Merseyrail network.
Richard Clein and south Liverpool
Richard Clein said he was "fuming" and said people in his ward deserved a "full rail service". Steve Rotheram described the situation as "a mess" and said the knock on impact would be felt in south Liverpool.
Rotheram said there was "nowhere better" for The Open than the Sefton coast, but he also said he had asked officers at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority "what the hell is happening?" He said it had been known for 18 months, two years that trackside beacons would need to be working properly.
December cancellations
This is not the first disruption at Cressington linked to big events on Merseyside. In December, services did not stop at the station at all on two separate Saturdays because of events at Aintree and the Hill Dickinson stadium.
For passengers, the immediate change is simple: between 16 and 19 July, the station will run on an event timetable, not the normal 15-minute pattern. Anyone using Cressington during The Open will need to plan for fewer trains, and the return to standard stopping patterns depends on the station being able to handle the larger trains now used to meet demand.
