MERSEYRAIL has announced many of its trains will be running on different timetables, leaving earlier and arriving later from now until the end of the year.

The change has been put down to increased autumn leaf fall, which the service says is 'difficult for the railway', and means trains on the Liverpool loop, Chester and Ellesmere Port lines will be subject to changes seven days a week from now.

According to the service, it will mean trains heading into Liverpool departing earlier and arriving later than currently timetabled, while trains from Liverpool will depart at the same time as before, but arrive later in Ellesmere Port and Chester than previously.

Explaining the changes, Merseyrail said on its website that they were needed in order to run a 'robust and reliable service.'

It added: “The residue from fallen leaves covers the track with a hard, slippery coating, which makes acceleration problematic in some areas. Trains have to run at lower speeds, sometimes leading to delays and cancellations.”

It said the changes had been put in place from Saturday (September 29), and will be in force until December 31.

The full new timetable can be seen here.

As well as the timetable changes, Merseyrail also said it’s doing a number of other things to minimise disruption.

They include:

  • Using “sophisticated technology” to improve how it measures the slipperiness of rails, so they can be treated more effectively.
  • Using local weather forecasts to work out the volume of leaf fall, and plan accordingly.
  • Running a programme of leaf-clearing sessions in areas where it knows leaf fall is heavy.
  • Running special trains throughout the network to jet-wash and clean the rails.
  • Its drivers adapting the way they drive “to suit the conditions of this challenging period”.