Full service of new Class 777s on Merseyrail’s Kirkby Line

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Full service of new Class 777s on Merseyrail’s Kirkby Line

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New Class 777 in service with Merseyrail
New Class 777 in service with Merseyrail // Credit: RailAdvent

Merseyrail has announced that it has completed the first stage of its phased introduction of new Class 777 trains, as a full timetable returns on the line.

The fifteen-minute service is scheduled to resume on Monday 6 March. Trains on the Kirkby line from this date will be Class 777s. Sunday services will continue to operate every thirty minutes.

‘s focus will now shift to the Ormskirk line, the next part of its network to receive the new trains.

The Class 777s were first introduced on the Kirkby line in January, and Merseyrail claims that passengers have been “fulsome in their praise of the new trains”, being impressed with the improved design, layout and high-tech features such as air conditioning, and electric charging points.

Later this year, Kirkby will also gain a new station at , which will be served by battery powered Class 777 trains and will be among the first services in the UK to use the technology.

Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail, said: “The completion of the Kirkby line Class 777 roll out is a really significant moment.

“As the first part of the network to go through the phased introduction, the Kirkby line has been the stage where the new trains have come into contact with passengers for the first time. Only so much can be learned from a test environment, so the performance of the new in passenger service has been a crucial moment.

“We have been delighted by our customers response to the trains and are looking forward to the next stages of the roll out.

“We will now be moving the project for introduction over to the Ormskirk line. As with the Kirkby roll out, this will require a reduction in a small number of services. We apologise to passengers who may be affected by these changes and will aim to return to a full schedule as soon as possible.”

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  1. The Class 777 could also run on shorter routes that aren’t electrified and to make journeys lot more easier to travel into Liverpool.

  2. “… served by battery powered Class 777 trains and will be among the first services in the UK to use the technology.” There have been battery-powered trains in the UK since at least the early 1900s, e.g. North Stafford BE1; the Derby lightweight BEMU; the Vivarail D78 conversions.

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