COMMUTERS who travel through Liverpool Lime Street will be affected for eight weeks next month as part of the final phase of station upgrades.

The station is set to close between June 2 to July 28, with main line services starting and terminating at Liverpool South Parkway.

This phase of work is similar to the 23-day upgrade which was completed in autumn last year and will include a full and partial closure of lines into Lime Street to allow the remodelling of station platforms, bringing two new platforms into use and completing signalling upgrades.

Passengers will be able to access Merseyrail lines into the city centre from Liverpool South Parkway and rail replacement buses will be on hand.

Work will also take place on Sunday, September 2 to complete further key upgrades outside of the summer works.

Network Rail’s London North Western route managing director Martin Frobisher said: “This major upgrade, and the wider Great North Rail Project, is part of our commitment to transform rail travel in the Liverpool City Region and across the north of England.

“With passenger figures expected to double during peak periods by 2043, the work is vital to boost station capacity - making room for more frequent, longer trains, with more space for passengers.

“We cannot safely complete the majority of the work while the station is open so have carefully planned it, with our partners, to cause the least amount of disruption to passengers as possible.”

Lime Street’s transformation is a key part of the £340m railway investment in the Liverpool City Region, which sits within the Great North Rail Project.

Chief executive at Merseytravel Frank Rogers said: “The Liverpool City Region is bold in its ambitions for transport and other major infrastructure improvements and with that inevitably comes some disruption.

“However, we’re confident that we can keep people travelling to and from Liverpool for work, business or leisure in a way that may mean changes to their journeys, but one that remains a positive experience.

“This work to Lime Street is an important stepping stone towards long term improvements to the City Region’s capacity and connectivity. We’re making the case for full high-speed rail connections west-east, joining up north-south HS2 infrastructure with Northern Powerhouse Rail into Liverpool.”

For more information on journeys from Liverpool Lime Street visit www.networkrail.co.uk/lcr