Merseyrail issues warning to customers ahead of freezing temperatures

Merseyrail has issued changes to its timetable ahead of further freezing conditions. Temperatures are expected to plunge overnight to -1°C into tomorrow, Thursday, November 21, with metal rails set to be even colder.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the North West of England, meaning Merseyrail’s preventative measures have been activated to deal with the potential for ice on the tracks tomorrow morning.

To help ensure services continue to operate safely, the first service of the day on each line will run without customers, enabling the rail conditions to be checked before services can begin as normal. Customers planning to travel in the morning should check for the latest travel advice before starting their journey by using the Merseyrail app, website or ‘X’ account (@merseyrail).

READ MORE: Tributes pour in for 'proper Scouse nan' who was loved for 'wicked sense of humour'

READ MORE: ITV I'm A Celebrity's Coleen Rooney 'embarrassed' when Wayne Rooney showed up at school

Greg Suligowski, Head of Communications at Merseyrail, said: "As the cold snap continues, we once again need to instigate our cold weather plan to help manage the risk of ice on the rails. The plan worked well on Tuesday morning, with customer services able to run normally after first services were cancelled and used to ensure it was safe to do so.

"We believe this approach will help avoid some of the challenges with ice on the rails we saw this morning. Merseyrail and Network Rail teams will once again be out during the night, working hard to reduce the impact the forecasted weather has on the network.

"I’d encourage anyone wanting to travel on early morning services tomorrow to check for the latest updates before heading to the station."

Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West route infrastructure director said: "Snow and ice always pose a challenge at this time of the year, particularly on the Merseyrail tracks where we need to apply de-icer to the third rail, which powers the electric trains.

"We have teams who will be ensuring anti-freeze is applied so it remains free of ice build-up. We also have additional checks being carried out and extra people ready to respond if needed."