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#OVERLOOP TRAIN SERIES#

The new Stadler trains have been designed specially for the Merseyrail network and will have lower floors and a sliding step to the platform. It says the network also desperately needs more capacity, as passenger numbers are already increasing by 2.5% a year.Įach new train will include more space for disabled passengers, as well as for bikes, buggies and luggage.Įach train will be easier to get on and off.

Transport authority Merseytravel, which is in charge of the fleet replacement project, says the current train fleet is one of the oldest in the country and is desperately in need of replacement. But doing nothing is not an option And to keep the guards on the trains would cost us round about £5m a year and we can’t afford that and paying for new trains so something has to give in order for us to get a modern, efficient service.” “It’s a conundrum that’s difficult to solve. “But what I’ve got to do is also provide a modern fit-for-purpose transport system that we are keeping in public ownership - we’re not hiving it off to the private sector - and we are in my view protecting those that are in those jibs as best we can. I understand as a trade unionist that we should fight to protect jobs and they (the rail unions) are right to do that. Liverpool City Council has lost over 3,000 jobs.

Mayor Anderson said he did not believe that safety on trains would be compromised with the new driver-only operation, highlighting the new trains’ improved CCTV and other improvements.Īnd he said: “I do understand fully the concerns of the trade unions. Speaking after today’s Combined Authority meeting, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said the new trains would lead to an improved and more efficient service for passengers. Today Merseytravel confirmed that there would be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the new fleet.Ĭost savings will be made through redeployment, voluntary redundancies and retirements. Just this week, the RMT’s North West regional organiser John Tilley told Merseyrail bluntly: “We will not operate any driver-only trains on Merseyrail”. The RMT has already stated its opposition to any plans to cut guards on Merseyrail trains. Today, Southern commuters are enduring their third strike within a week as ASLEF and the RMT battle what they say is an unsafe way of operating trains.

#OVERLOOP TRAIN SERIES#

Plans to introduce such driver-controlled trains on the Southern Railway network of commuter trains into London have led to a series of strikes and a bitter dispute between unions and train bosses. That means the jobs of more than 200 guards will cease to exist, though more than 60 new on-board customer service roles will be created.

Mersey Tunnels gridlock warning over loop-line renewal work.

How the new Merseyrail trains could look Read More Related Articles The scheme will also see improvements made to platforms across Merseyside to reduce the gaps between the trains and platforms, as well as investment in the Merseyrail depots at Birkenhead North and Kirkdale.īut the new trains will also see guards removed from trains, as each one will be controlled solely by its driver. The £460m bill – approved by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority this afternoon at a meeting in Liverpool – will not be passed on to travellers or council tax payers. The new trains will also allow Merseyrail to extend its operations beyond the current network, potentially including services to Wrexham, Skelmersdale and Warrington. They will also be faster than the current trains – Merseyrail estimates that journey times between Southport and Hunts Cross could be cut by up to nine minutes. Merseyrail will replaces its fleet of 40-year-old trains with new trains designed especially for the network.Įach train, to be built by Swiss firm Stadler, will be longer and will able to carry 60% more passengers.

A £460m plan for a new fleet of bigger and faster Merseyrail trains has been approved – but rail unions are set to protest against moves to axe guards.