Liverpool Council has supported a motion calling for Merseyrail to be placed back into public hands. In 2028, the current contract awarded to operators Serco and Transport UK will expire, with a five-year extension on the table.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) leaders agreed last March to investigate future operating models, with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram considering a new way forward. Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, called on the city region to bring the train system back into public control last Spring.
Now, members of the city council have agreed to back a motion laid down by the Green Party to express support for Merseyrail returning to public ownership and control. There are currently 69 stations on the Merseyrail network, 23 of which are located in Liverpool.
As recently as November last year, Green members in Wirral put forward their own motion urging the borough council to push the combined authority to adopt a publicly owned model. In the new motion – which was agreed unanimously by the city council without debate – members agreed “Merseyrail’s profit could and should be used for the benefit of local passengers – to improve train services, accessibility and reduce fares for Liverpool residents.”
The motion cited the payment of £212m in dividends by Merseyrail since the contract started in 2003. It added that the city would support the return of the company to public ownership and asked Andrew Lewis, chief executive, to write to Mr Rotheram and Heidi Alexander, secretary of state for transport, to set out this position.
It added, “Council also welcomes the recent fare freeze and calls for a full options report to a future LCRCA meeting, including returning to public ownership for openness and transparency to avoid any accusation of pre-determination.”
A significant public subsidy for the running of the Merseyrail network is provided by the Department for Transport (DfT) through the annual Special Rail Grant and as such, any decisions on the future Merseyrail operating model will require consultation with DfT.
If the combined authority does proceed with an extension or a new operating model for Merseyrail – at the same time as pursuing more devolution of services and stations – then that would bring more trains and stations under Merseyrail and/or the Combined Authority’s ownership or operation.
As of 2028, Merseytravel will be rebranded as Transport for Liverpool City Region (TfLCR). This is part of wide-ranging plans from the combined authority (CA) to connect rail, bus, ferry, tunnels and active travel options across the six local authority areas.
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