A section of Merseyrail's Northern Line remains closed as engineers undertake a £3.5m project to waterproof Victorian railway tunnels. The work, which has been ongoing for almost four weeks, is designed to stop water from damaging the network's electrified rail and causing future faults.
Inside St James Tunnel, south of Liverpool Central, engineers are drilling into the curved brick roof and injecting resin to create a waterproof barrier. This aims to prevent water from seeping through the Victorian brickwork and dripping onto the tracks below.
Helen Little from Network Rail stated that the tunnels are over 100 years old and naturally deteriorate over time. She explained that waterproofing will divert water down the side walls, preventing it from reaching the electrified third rail, which powers Merseyrail trains. Water reaching the rail could trigger faults and power failures, potentially stopping trains from running.
The waterproofing is part of wider improvements to four Victorian-built tunnels on the Northern Line. Engineers are also installing new electrical equipment to allow smaller sections of the railway to be shut down during faults, which Merseyrail anticipates will make repairs quicker and reduce future disruption. This electrical work is also affecting parts of the Wirral Line on Sundays.
The work began on 11 October and is scheduled to conclude on 6 November, with normal services expected to resume on Saturday, 7 November.