All you need to know about the Merseyrail closures

Rail passengers in Liverpool face up to a month of major disruption as work to upgrade Victorian-built Merseyrail tunnels begins next week.

Waterproofing work will take place on four underground tunnels carrying Northern Line services into Liverpool.

Merseyrail said the £3.5m project would reduce the risk of power failures and unplanned closures, making the tunnels more suitable for the 21st century.

The operator is also installing new track feeder switches to allow engineers to remotely isolate smaller sections of the railway, enabling faster repairs.

The work will begin on Sunday 11 October and is expected to continue for 26 days until Friday 6 November.

Once the upgrades are complete, Network Rail said trains will run again from Saturday 7 November.

The Northern Line between Hunts Cross and Liverpool will be closed for the duration of the works.

On Sundays during the closure, the disruption will be extended to Sandhills station on the Northern line and parts of the Wirral line.

During this period, Wirral line services will not stop at Moorfields, Lime Street, and Liverpool Central.

Rail replacement buses will be provided to get passengers to where they need to be, Network Rail said.

• On Monday to Saturday buses will run from Hunts Cross to Moorfields. Amended train services will run from Southport, Ormskirk, and Headbolt Lane to Liverpool Central.
• On Sundays replacement buses will run from Hunts Cross to Sandhills. Amended train services will run from Southport, Ormskirk, and Headbolt Lane to Sandhills.
• On Sunday 11 and 18 October, amended train services will run from West Kirby, New Brighton, Chester, and Ellesmere Port to James Street.
• On Sunday 25 October and 1 November amended train services will run from New Brighton and West Kirby to Birkenhead North, and from Chester and Ellesmere Port to Rock Ferry. Replacement buses will run from Birkenhead North and Rock Ferry to Moorfields.

Paul Owen, Network Rail Liverpool area director, said: "We understand that this work will be disruptive, so we're working with Merseyrail to minimise the impact of the upgrades as much as possible.

"We're also giving people advance notice so they can forward-plan their journeys by visiting National Rail Enquiries or Merseyrail's websites during our work," he said.

Stephen Dodd, Merseyrail chief operating officer, said: "We'd like to thank our passengers for their patience while this important work is carried out.

"These upgrades will help improve the long-term reliability of the Northern Line and reduce the risk of future disruption."

He added that customers should plan ahead and check before they travel during the closure.

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