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Could well be forward thinking from Network Rail, the service suffered quite badly last autumn from leaf fall, don't think Merseyrail were too happy at the way Network Rail were handling lineside vegetation after then...

(31/03/2013 10:39)LVC Wrote: [ -> ]Could well be forward thinking from Network Rail, the service suffered quite badly last autumn from leaf fall, don't think Merseyrail were too happy at the way Network Rail were handling lineside vegetation after then...

Nope... (although that aspect is certainly beneficial!)

It's because (some) new cabling and casing is required in relation to the Hooton signal box closure, (control passing to Chester - CR).

The other reason is for improved vehicular access to the route, which was required due to the frequent winter problem of flooding. Engineers had to walk quite a way, sometimes with equipment due to the vegetation.

Other improvements in the area include a new drainage system being installed which runs into a modified culvert at the back of the massive mansion house nearest the Chester/Ellesmere Port junction.

Makes sence i suppose ! Are they going to build an access point off the welsh road i wonder ?

Any idea when the Hooton track renewals are? The state of some of the sleepers up that way look a concern !

08/09/13 -15/09/13 -22/09/13 (also rock ferry renewals that date!!) are the dates for the hooton engineering works. road railer at hightown has moved since yesterday and is in a new place today. Heard it go past my house just after the last southport train. anybody know what it was up to last night?

road/rail equipment are a common sight on spare bits of land owned by railways. Saves time messing when they are needed

MPV was roaming about today on driver training duties.

First train to southport was cancelled this morning due to a unit failure on its inbound journey the units were 507018 and 507011 they limped ECS from central to kirkdale depot causing the ormskirk service to be delayed by 10 mins.

Problem must of only been minor because 507018 was back in service on the southport line late morning-ish. New advertisement poster hung up on Bootle OR platform 1 about a new bus link from Ellesmere Port to Cheshire Oaks.

Problem must have been with 507011. Yesterdays Liverpool Echo reports that a train got a bit too hot underneath and started issuing smoke at fazakerley on tuesday resulting in the attendance of the fire brigade the cause is thought to be a plastic bag being sucked into the resistor fans this is the second time this has happened think merseyrail need to look at addressing this so it doesnt develop into becoming a major problem.

Three of the six Southport PM peak pairs were short-formed tonight. The 16.51 Hunts Cross - Southport was one of them which is an extremely poor decision in my book. This service is remarkably busy at the best of times and the 17.13 Central - Southport runs just behind it for a reason. With this latter also caped this evening I'm just glad I was only observing the trains rather than riding them! All short-formed trains left with painfully crowded standing loads and you can see Merseyrail taking a bit of a pounding for it on Twitter.

While I can understand why some (not necessarily three) of the pairs may have to be short-formed, it is difficult to forgive when fourteen 508s continue to fester in Eastleigh sidings having actively been refused for further use by Merseyrail.