The
veteran


Merseyrail
fleet
was
among
the
oldest
on
National
Rail,
having
been
built
by
British
Rail
about
45
years
ago,
but
its
longevity
came
at
a
price.

A
report
which
will
be
considered
by
the
Liverpool
City
Region
Combined
Authority
at
its
meeting
on
Friday
this
week
shows
that
keeping
the
fleet
in
service
for
longer
than
expected
cost
half
a
million
pounds.

Fifty
replacement
Stadler
Class
777s
have
been
coming
into
service
since
the
start
of
2023,
but
the
last
of
the
older
trains
have
only
been
withdrawn
recently.

The
Authority’s
Transport
Committee
heard
in
March
this
year
that
’the
roll
out
had
not
been
perfect
and
had
taken
longer
than
hoped;
however,
improvements
were
now
evident’.

The
latest
report,
to
be
considered
by
the
LCRCA
this
week,
says:
‘This
delay
attracts
additional
lease
and
maintenance
costs
and
reduces
the
operational
savings
from
the
new
fleet.’

The
fleet
had
been
leased
from
Angel
Trains,
but
the
new
fleet
is
publicly
owned.