'Not good enough' as Merseyrail users face rush hour disruption

Merseyrail users shared their anger after one line was affected by cancellations and delays this morning. Passengers using the operator's Northern Line on Tuesday (November 26) saw rush hour services delayed by some time and others cancelled.

This was due to engineering work undertaken by Network Rail overnight. At 6.26am today, the operator said on X: "Due to engineering works not being finished on time, some services on the Northern Lines may be delayed or cancelled. Possession of the line has been given, so services are operating but may face alterations."

Though the cause of the issue was out of Merseyrail's hands, train users were quick to share their frustrations with further disruptions after last week's weather issues. On X (formerly Twitter), Dave O'Carroll said: "That first train in the morning is constantly delayed or cancelled. I’m spending a fortune on taxis to get to work (not to mention tickets for trains that don’t arrive). Not good enough."

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X user @CharlieIDIC added: "I didn’t even see a note yesterday about engineering works so my train home was cancelled yesterday and today. If you don’t get your act together I might not be able to get to work. I’m a season ticket holder who isn’t getting what she paid for."

As he was waiting for his train, Stuart B said: "Any information? People are just stood around in the cold looking at fictional train times on the screens."

In response to disgruntled passengers, the Merseyrail X account said: "The engineering works were being done overnight, outside of our operating hours and should not have had an impact on any of our passengers. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

Responding to complaints about the communication, Merseyrail said: "The information is posted as soon as we are informed of the alterations. Delays and cancellations can occur last minute and are not always planned. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused."

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to passengers for the delayed start on Merseyrail’s Northern line this morning. Engineers were working to fix a track defect and, unfortunately, couldn’t complete the work within the predicted timeframe.

“We are carrying out a review to identify how we can avoid this happening again.”