New footage has been released showing £3.5 million upgrades to Victorian-era tunnels on Liverpool’s Merseyrail network.
Network Rail is 17 days into a near four-week closure of the Northern Line which began on Sunday 11 October. At just over halfway through the project, the team of more than 50 workers have:
- Removed 92m² of old concrete ahead of new concrete being applied.
- Drilled 6,400 holes in the tunnel walls for waterproofing injections.
- Drilled 197 holes in the tunnel walls to direct water into drainage (weep holes).
- Waterproofed 1,672m² of tunnel wall.
The Northern Line is closed between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Central during the work. While work continues, passengers are being urged to plan their journeys by visiting nationalrail.co.uk.
Alongside tunnel strengthening and waterproofing, power control systems are being modernised across both Merseyrail lines during extended Sunday rail closures. Rail replacement buses are running to help passengers travel across the city region and normal train services will return on the morning of Saturday 7 November, once all the work has been completed.
Paul Owen, Liverpool area director for Network Rail, said: “This is a significant £3.5 milion investment into the underground section of the Merseyrail network to maintain four Victorian-built tunnels for 21st-century passengers.
“We understand that this work is disruptive, so we’ve been working with Merseyrail to minimise the impact of the upgrades as much as possible and are asking passengers to plan their journeys using the National Rail or Merseyrail websites.”
Stephen Dodd, Merseyrail chief operating officer, said: “We’d like to thank our passengers for their patience while this important work is carried out. These upgrades will help improve the long-term reliability of the Northern Line and reduce the risk of future disruption. We encourage customers to plan ahead and check before they travel during the closure.”
The major investment will mean more reliable journeys for the millions of passengers who use the Merseyrail network each year.
Image credit: Network Rail
