Network Rail is investing £500,000 to upgrade drainage at a flood-prone section of the Merseyrail network, aiming to improve reliability for passengers travelling between Liverpool and Chester.
The stretch of track near Ledsham, close to Hooton, has experienced significant disruption in recent months due to heavy rainfall, leading to delays and cancellations. Engineers have now devised a solution to enhance drainage in the area, designed to mitigate the impact of future extreme weather events.
To facilitate the essential work, the line between Liverpool Central and Ellesmere Port and Chester will be closed from 2am on Sunday, March 30th, and will reopen at 5am on Tuesday, April 1st.
Paul Owen, Network Rail’s area director for Merseyside and Cheshire, said “We are seeing more extreme weather events and during autumn and winter 2024, the track at Hooton has been blocked due to flooding for several days on three occasions. We recognise that this isn’t good enough and have invested in some work that we hope will solve the problem and keep passengers on the move. Unfortunately we need to close the railway to carry out this work and we thank passengers for their patience.”
Greg Suligowski, Head of Corporate Affairs at Merseyrail said “We know how disruptive the flooding in and around the Hooton area has been to Merseyrail customers. We have been working closely with partners including Network Rail, who own and maintain the track on which we operate, to find a solution to this long-standing issue”.
“We do know that these drainage works will cause some further disruption, however we hope that they will help significantly improve the reliability of the rail service we can offer to our customers travelling on the Wirral line. A comprehensive rail replacement bus service will be in operation during the works to help customers complete their journeys. We will continue to work with partners to measure the effectiveness of the new drains and to continually improve the reliability of our railway”.
The upgrade involves the installation of purpose-built catch pits, which will divert and store water away from the railway track, reducing the risk of delays and cancellations during periods of heavy rainfall. Network Rail and Merseyrail will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the new drainage system.
