Mainline passengers services to be diverted to Liverpool South Parkway for two months

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Rail journeys to Liverpool are to be severely disrupted for eight weeks as the city’s main station closes for a major upgrade.

During the Lime Street station closure, which runs from Saturday until 29 July, many mainline services will be diverted to Liverpool South Parkway, near the airport.

Passengers will have to change on to local trains to reach the centre of Liverpool, extending some journey times by around half an hour.

Once the project was completed later this year, an extra three services an hour would be able to operate in and out of Lime Street, including new direct trains to Scotland, Network Rail said.

The station closed for three weeks last year for the first stage of the work.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s London North Western route managing director, said: “With passenger figures set to double during peak periods by 2043, the Liverpool Lime Street upgrade is vital to transform train travel for passengers in the future.”

The project is one of 10 major railway upgrades that make up the £340m rail investment in the Liverpool city region by the end of 2019.

It is also part of the wider great north rail project aimed at improving rail travel for customers in the north of England.