Industrial action may impact Merseyrail from Saturday 18 to Monday 20 July 

Route(s) affected

All Merseyrail routes

Description

Merseyrail are advising customers that services could be affected between Saturday 18 July and Monday 20 July (inclusive) following notification of strike action by the RMT union as part of an ongoing dispute over the 2026 pay award.

Union members are currently voting on a revised pay offer from Merseyrail, with the ballot due to close at midday on Friday 17 July. The outcome of the ballot will determine whether industrial action takes place.

A visual disruption map video is now available.

Customer advice:

Should strike action go ahead, Merseyrail will only be able to operate a very limited train service.

Customers are strongly advised to check before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys.

Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July

As The Open Championship is taking place at Royal Birkdale and large numbers of visitors are expected to travel by rail, available services will be prioritised to support travel to and from the event.

A 15-minute service will operate on the Southport line only between approximately 09:00 and 21:00, with a break in service during the middle of the day.

Trains will call at:

• Liverpool Central

• Blundellsands & Crosby

• Hillside (for Royal Birkdale)

• Southport

No other Merseyrail services will operate on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July.

Monday 20 July

Merseyrail plan to operate a limited service across the network.

Services are expected to run between approximately 10:00 and 19:00, with a break during the middle of the day.

Where can I find more information?

You can find more information on the Merseyrail website. This includes strike timetables.

Check before you travel:

The revised and heavily reduced strike timetable is available to view in Journey Planners. You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.