Merseyrail 777 introduction

[WirralLine]

Just on a 777 now, and i also find the new male voice very AI and quite irritating.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just on a 777 now, and i also find the new male voice very AI and quite irritating.

They've found a way to make them worse?

 

[sbrignall72]

Managed to make out on the back line at Kirkdale 777005/021/014/010/152/140. Missed 3 i believe. Trying to track down 777039.

 

[Liverpool 507]

Looking at the December timetable change, it appears the Ormskirk line yet again does not receive any peak 8 car diagrams between December 2025 and May 2026.

 

[sbrignall72]

Does anyone please know which units are on the naughty step long term stopped. MTIA

 

[M28361M]

Looking at the December timetable change, it appears the Ormskirk line yet again does not receive any peak 8 car diagrams between December 2025 and May 2026.

I can't see any ECS moves to/from Kirkdale depot that would indicate peak strengthening, but is Merseyrail perhaps planning to simplify operation by just leaving the 8-cars out all day? I think that's what they are doing on Southport line at the moment.

I note that Everton has another test event this Saturday, and with alternating trains on the Hunts Cross line planned for 8 cars, Cressington gets only a 2tph service that day. Presumably training on SDO is still not complete.

 

[FrontSideBus]

I think I've started to warm to these units. I still think the seats are too hard and too narrow but I do like nabbing the seats on the raised section of floor over the Jacobs bogie as it makes the windows appear massive.
I still see people stumble on the ramp bit!

 

[karlbbb]

Does anyone please know which units are on the naughty step long term stopped. MTIA

777004 is still sat in the same spot at Kirkdale in a bit of a sorry state - headlight missing, driver's opening cab window missing and bin bag covering, all sorts of interior roof panels dangling down the whole length of the train...

 

[Prime586]

Last Wednesday (06/08) there was a bit of 777/1-based disruption on the Northern Line in the evening peak. I was at Moorfields waiting for the 1722 to Headbolt Lane. It was delayed, and finally cancelled when it was going to overlap onto the following 1737 service. Every service heading north after 1722 was also delayed by whatever happened to it, presumably at Central (the 1737 eventually arrived around 1750), and the offending 777/1 eventually crawled through Moorfields out of service and heading back to Kirkdale around 1740-ish. What would have been the 1752 to Headbolt Lane was also shown as cancelled.

The delay did allow me to observe the sardine-packed state of the peak 4-car Southport services as well (come to think of it, I don't remember any of the 3 Southport services I saw being 8 cars).

 

[MR-507508]

Could anyone please confirm if there was any 777 units stabled in any of the sidings at Southport today and if any 777s were on Birkenhead North depot?
With a total of 42 units in service today, 7 on Kirkdale depot (1 inside shed, 1 in wheel lathe and 5 outside) and 1 unit stabled at West Kirkby, this gives a total of 50 units accounted for, therefore I am missing the location of 3 units, if anyone could help?

 

[TheSel]

Could anyone please confirm if there was any 777 units stabled in any of the sidings at Southport today and if any 777s were on Birkenhead North depot?
With a total of 42 units in service today, 7 on Kirkdale depot (1 inside shed, 1 in wheel lathe and 5 outside) and 1 unit stabled at West Kirkby, this gives a total of 50 units accounted for, therefore I am missing the location of 3 units, if anyone could help?

There was one in 'Birkdale Sidings' (outside Southport Station) when I left on the 0936 this morning. Didn't note which one, though.

 

[jamesst]

Could anyone please confirm if there was any 777 units stabled in any of the sidings at Southport today and if any 777s were on Birkenhead North depot?
With a total of 42 units in service today, 7 on Kirkdale depot (1 inside shed, 1 in wheel lathe and 5 outside) and 1 unit stabled at West Kirkby, this gives a total of 50 units accounted for, therefore I am missing the location of 3 units, if anyone could help?

There were 2 inside the sheds at Birkenhead North over the weekend

 

[MR-507508]

There was one in 'Birkdale Sidings' (outside Southport Station) when I left on the 0936 this morning. Didn't note which one, though.

There were 2 inside the sheds at Birkenhead North over the weekend

Thanks both for the input.

 

[sbrignall72]

Thanks both for the input.

Was 777043 seen

 

[MR-507508]

Was 777043 seen

777043 is with 006 running as an 8 car on the Southport line today, same as yesterday.

 

[karlbbb]

Looks like the timetable reversion has been pushed back again until December. It's getting to the point of being unfathomable that a single station (or is is two) needing ASDO will have taken nearly a year of training to implement?

 

[JBuchananGB]

On 10 August I booked tickets for 17 October with an itinerary Southport direct to Liverpool South Parkway, then onward on LNR service to Wolverhampton. I have been notified by the retailer of a timetable change. My thread in the Trip Planning section refers. It seems I will have to change trains somewhere to reach my LNR train.

 

[MR-507508]

Quite interesting to see on the topic discussed above, to provide an increased capacity following Everton's match this evening, there are some Southport to Hunts Cross runs, using I believe some 8 Cars not stopping at Cressington.

 

[M28361M]

The training runs between Kirkdale depot and South Parkway don't seem to have been running much recently, although the "Runs as Required" paths are still showing in Realtime Trains. Is the training still ongoing or has it paused due to summer holidays or other factors?

 

[jamesst]

The training runs between Kirkdale depot and South Parkway don't seem to have been running much recently, although the "Runs as Required" paths are still showing in Realtime Trains. Is the training still ongoing or has it paused due to summer holidays or other factors?

Ongoing staffing shortages meaning running jobs are understandably covered first, unit shortages etc

 

[MR-507508]

The training runs between Kirkdale depot and South Parkway don't seem to have been running much recently, although the "Runs as Required" paths are still showing in Realtime Trains. Is the training still ongoing or has it paused due to summer holidays or other factors?

The runs took place pretty much every day last week. I did note though, there was at least one occasion were one of the runs ran, with the same headcode as planned, but did not show as being activated or reported as running on RTT.

 

[Sam 76]

Ongoing staffing shortages meaning running jobs are understandably covered first, unit shortages etc

How is unit availability looking at the moment. Are there any other longer term absentees other than 004?

 

[jamesst]

How is unit availability looking at the moment. Are there any other longer term absentees other than 004?

Ok for service to be fair, trying to get a spare 8 car though can be interesting

 

[Sam 76]

Ok for service to be fair, trying to get a spare 8 car though can be interesting

That’s good and to be honest the 8 cars on the Southport line have held strong for a while now which has been great.

I imagine some units being non multi must add to the spare 8 cars being interesting as well

 

[Ellis101]

Looks like the timetable reversion has been pushed back again until December. It's getting to the point of being unfathomable that a single station (or is is two) needing ASDO will have taken nearly a year of training to implement?

This is absolutely ridiculous and will cause misery to the thousands who commute from South Liverpool - Liverpool City Centre I am not looking forward to another year of college with this awful 4 car commute.

 

[baldyman26]

Voice your concerns to Teflon Steve and his cronies who have failed the city region massively with these new trains. Service recently has been atrocious but he still compliments himself on a job well done

 

[Phillipimo]

I caught the train from St Michaels today and was surprised to see 8 car trains running on the Ormskirk-Hunts Cross route, presumably because Everton were playing at home today. I noted that 8 car services were not stopping at Cressington so Selective Door Opening is not yet in operation.
Attached screenshot of RealTime Trains showing the Cressington stop without public times as a 'service stop unadvertised'.
It looks like half the diagrams were covered by 8 cars meaning a half hourly service for Cressington.

 

[M28361M]

It looks like half the diagrams were covered by 8 cars meaning a half hourly service for Cressington

Cressington is far from the busiest station on the network but if that was my local station I’d be rather annoyed that the service gets chopped in half every time Everton played at home.

Saw some complaints on X about 4-cars on the Ormskirk line struggling to cope, although even if Cressington could take 8-cars, I’m not sure if they have enough units to strengthen every Ormskirk train as well as Southport.

The return of the Hunts Cross-Southport service has been put back again, to 5th January 2026, according to RTT.

 

[Bertie the bus]

Saw some complaints on X about 4-cars on the Ormskirk line struggling to cope, although even if Cressington could take 8-cars, I’m not sure if they have enough units to strengthen every Ormskirk train as well as Southport.

Of course people are complaining on X. It wouldn't be X if it wasn't full of people complaining but what do they expect?

People complain about the traffic and parking around football grounds and demand public transport solutions and then complain about the public transport solutions. No rational person could expect a fleet of trains sitting about for 20-odd days per year so if they are not going to the football they should travel a bit earlier or later if possible.

 

[childwallblues]

Cressington is far from the busiest station on the network but if that was my local station I’d be rather annoyed that the service gets chopped in half every time Everton played at home.

Saw some complaints on X about 4-cars on the Ormskirk line struggling to cope, although even if Cressington could take 8-cars, I’m not sure if they have enough units to strengthen every Ormskirk train as well as Southport.

The return of the Hunts Cross-Southport service has been put back again, to 5th January 2026, according to RTT.

Hunts Cross to Ormskirk works well for me personally connecting into the Ormskirk to Preston service. However I do accept that Southport is a very popular destination.