IRSTLY, I wish to assure your correspondent Mr Ramsay that plans for the future of the Merseyrail rolling stock are still firmly on the agenda.

Merseytravel wants to ensure that the options are "future proof" and fit with the new 30-year, long-term rail strategy for the Liverpool City Region – a strategy that wasn’t envisaged when the rolling stock project was originally conceived.

Should it be approved, the strategy sees the Merseyrail network expanding, with Merseyrail services also potentially operating on the wider network.

This would obviously have implications in terms of the specifications for any new or refurbished stock now or in the future.

Therefore it could be that the existing stock is kept in the short to medium term with extensive re-modelling, with a view to new rolling stock longer term.

Conversely, the business case may show new stock in the shorter term to be the most cost-effective and viable option. We hope to put options forward for political approval in the near future.

In article mpu While Mr Ramsay is correct to point out that the current rolling stock is owned by Angel Trains, there is no obligation or expectation on them to fund their replacement. The lease costs for new rolling stock are considerably higher. Merseytravel is considering a range of options for ownership for when new trains are introduced.

Frank Rogers, Merseytravel deputy chief executive and director of integrated transport services.