Impressed with Merseyrail

[anti-pacer]

I was back in Liverpool on Tuesday and yesterday for the first time in a long while, and I have to say I'm very impressed with Merseyrail on the whole.

The stations are regularly well maintained, signage very clear, annoucements regular and clear (manual and automated), the underground stations are bright and clean, and I love their "M To Go" shops/ticket offices.

On my first train from South Parkway to Sandhills (to change for Maghull), within a minute there were not one but 2 revenue inspectors asking for tickets. At Central someone got on with a bin bag and collected litter (not that I saw any). On my second train 2 Byelaw Enforcement Officers got on and patrolled the train for a few stations.

When I got to Maghull there were flowers everywhere. What a beautiful station!

I used Merseyrail back in 2002-4 when I lived in Waterloo. It wasn't a patch on what it is now. All it needs now is the new trains that are due.

Very impressed.

 

[Adlington]

I have to say I'm very impressed with Merseyrail on the whole.[...] I love their "M To Go" shops/ticket offices.

See here for an alternative point of view.

 

[shredder1]

In the past I`ve found them incompetent and unprofessional, nice to hear they are getting their act together if thats so.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In the past I've found them incompetent and unprofessional, nice to hear they are getting their act together if thats so.

I find they are way better than they used to be, but train cleanliness (actual cleanliness, not picking rubbish up) is absolutely dire and shows no attention to detail whatsoever. Mind you, GTR/Southern are as bad, their relatively new rolling stock is in a disgusting condition, none of which wouldn't be solved by 5 minutes with a soapy sponge.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I find they are way better than they used to be, but train cleanliness (actual cleanliness, not picking rubbish up) is absolutely dire and shows no attention to detail whatsoever. Mind you, GTR/Southern are as bad, their relatively new rolling stock is in a disgusting condition, none of which wouldn't be solved by 5 minutes with a soapy sponge.

As a frequent (these days mostly off peak - but peak occasionally - the 1718 off St Pancras to Bedford tonight) , I disagree - the 700's and the vintage 319's are very clean internally and externally - with litter picking teams strongly in evidence at St Albans / Luton etc.

The true test is internal surface cleanliness - table tops and window ledges - and I have to report such details pass my personal test (as an ex Operations Manager who used to drive train washing and cleaning teams)

 

[KevinTurvey]

On the whole I find them pretty good, most of the time (I say this as a weekly rather than daily user) and much better than than the first post-privatisation incarnation of Merseyrail in the late 90's / early 00's

I do think though that the weekday 15 minute timetable could be extended a bit later into the evening - there are still a fair number of people travelling after 7:00pm, Sundays too.

 

[JamesP]

I've been using Merseyrail 2-3 times a week over the past months or so and not once have I seen an RPI on a train. Though I always travel off peak, whether that makes a difference or not?

 

[Dan Electro]

I live in Liverpool, and I use Northern much more than Merseyrail. What I do find baffling is that they publicise the No Alcohol policy far more than the fact that the trains are powered by a third rail.

From the number of footballs visible from South Parkway into the city, I think it is common knowledge that the locals know the danger from the third rail. However, as Liverpool is a major tourist and business city in its own right, I find this approach particularly short sighted.

Cheers

DE

 

[Merseysider]

I've been RPI'd just once so far this year at Birkenhead Central, on a near-daily commute, but I can't remember the last time I ever saw proper trouble on the network. Generally speaking, late running (5+) is a rarity. There are unfortunately massive gaps in the retail knowledge of some staff, but you take the good with the bad I guess.

 

[Bevan Price]

I was back in Liverpool on Tuesday and yesterday for the first time in a long while, and I have to say I'm very impressed with Merseyrail on the whole.

The stations are regularly well maintained, signage very clear, annoucements regular and clear (manual and automated), the underground stations are bright and clean, and I love their "M To Go" shops/ticket offices.

On my first train from South Parkway to Sandhills (to change for Maghull), within a minute there were not one but 2 revenue inspectors asking for tickets. At Central someone got on with a bin bag and collected litter (not that I saw any). On my second train 2 Byelaw Enforcement Officers got on and patrolled the train for a few stations.

When I got to Maghull there were flowers everywhere. What a beautiful station!

I used Merseyrail back in 2002-4 when I lived in Waterloo. It wasn't a patch on what it is now. All it needs now is the new trains that are due.

Very impressed.

We will have to wait & see if the new trains are better than the 507s & 508s. As we have seen elsewhere, "new" is not always an improvement (for example in terms of passenger comfort / environment)
.

 

[fowler9]

I live up in Merseyrail land but my actual local station is on the Cheshire Lines route, albeit between South Parkway and Lime Street. When leaving work work down near South Parkway if I am going to town rather than straight home I will always use either East Midlands, Northern, London Midland or Trans Pennine. At the end of the day though if I really have to slum it I will use Merseyrail, ha ha. When I say that it isn't that I hate Merseyrail because it is more than acceptable and I am kidding to an extent, I just prefer the route to Lime Street which has a marginally better view for at least parts of the journey. Ha ha. The M To Go (I always read it as M Togo) shops are alright and pretty much all of the stations are in a decent state of repair. We are lucky to have the network in a part of the country that I have seen in a much worse state within my own lifetime.

In fact I just looked up the Which guide and Merseyrail were top in the whole country. Given how old the rolling stock is that is pretty good going.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Merseyrail are far better than they used to be for reliability and punctuality and I don't see too much overcrowding (except back into town after Everton home matches).

It is interesting to compare Merseyrail with Metrolink. In my limited experience, Metrolink is very unreliable with services being very vulnerable to "incidents" of various sorts.

However Merseyrail are let down by their lack of toilet facilities and refusal to provide facilities for picking up pre-purchased tickets.

I quite like the 507's & 508's with their spacious 2+2 seats. The new trains will have still have 2+2 seats but these will be narrower giving less personal space.

 

[Moonshot]

Merseyrail are far better than they used to be for reliability and punctuality and I don't see too much overcrowding (except back into town after Everton home matches).

It is interesting to compare Merseyrail with Metrolink. In my limited experience, Metrolink is very unreliable with services being very vulnerable to "incidents" of various sorts.

However Merseyrail are let down by their lack of toilet facilities and refusal to provide facilities for picking up pre-purchased tickets.

I quite like the 507's & 508's with their spacious 2+2 seats. The new trains will have still have 2+2 seats but these will be narrower giving less personal space.

Mersey rail doesnt have freight trains or road traffic to get in its way. A self contained small network of one type of stock will always be more reliable than the mixed bag of heavy rail outside of that.

 

[Darandio]

What I do find baffling is that they publicise the No Alcohol policy far more than the fact that the trains are powered by a third rail.

Why do they need to publicise the fact the trains are powered by a third rail?

 

[frodshamfella]

I have no complaints with them . Use Merseyrail fairly often, wish they went further into Cheshire.

 

[mcnw35282]

Oh good grief...not another overhead/third rail discussion. Merseyrail has worked quite well on DC for over a century. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

 

[fowler9]

Why do they need to publicise the fact the trains are powered by a third rail?

Well it is obviously "From the number of footballs visible from South Parkway into the city".

I think Dan Electro went all Monty Python on us.

 

[stuart100100]

The flowers at Maghull Station are done by volunteers from the Maghull in bloom group. They put up displays all over the town and do a great job.

Hopefully they will do the same at Maghull North when it's built