The big change Merseyrail needs and when it might happen

The city region's train network needs to make life easier for people buying tickets and getting around the region in 2025, writes Liam Thorp

Every day huge numbers of people travel around the Liverpool City Region using the Merseyrail network. It is a service many of us rely on.

It is fair to say the network has had a tricky couple of years as the old Class 507 trains have been replaced by a new fleet of Class 777 trains. The project to bring in the new trains has been hit by disruption and delays although the operator has insisted the worst of those teething problems are now over.

But there is one other issue holding the region's rail network back and it is one this correspondent has vented about more than once. That issue is ticketing. It is increasingly bizarre to find yourself travelling on the principle public transport network of a major, international city region like this one without the ability to use tap and go payment technology to get around.

The sight of queues of anxious commuters waiting outside stations to see if they might be able to purchase a paper ticket in time to catch their rush hour train is a frustrating occurrence. This is no slight on the hard working station staff who do a great job and should always be on hand to help people - but we need options and the network needs to progress.

So the good news is this technology is on the way, but like too many trains travelling from Headbolt Lane in recent years - it has been delayed. It had been hoped that the first phase of the tap-and-go project - involving the use of smart cards - would have been implemented in the Autumn of 2024, with the second phase, based around the use of bank cards, scheduled for later in 2025. But as we enter the new year, there is no evidence of any such changes being brought in.

In fact a recent update from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) - which is leading on the project - provided some concern that the entire rollout could be delayed. At its last meeting the CA signed off on a change that could push the completion date for the tap and go project back to this time next year.

It is understood the extension to the timeframes relates to the securing of funding for the lifetime of the project and the implementation of the live testing. As a result, a request has been accepted to extend the completion date for the project to December 31, 2025 for "additional contingency and to align the end of this scheme with the start of the next phase of the wider tap and go initiative."

While it is of course hoped that the technology will arrive sooner, any further delays will add to a sense of frustration for Merseyrail users who have deal with a fair amount of disruption in recent years and would just like to see their transport network brought into line with others in major cities that offer this quick and easy option for ticketing and travelling.