Nearly £40k being spent to fix escalators at Moorfields train station

Tens of thousands of pounds are being spent to get escalators back in service at a busy Liverpool city centre train station.

For months, commuters have been left frustrated amid an escalator being out of use at Moorfields station at its main entrance. New details revealed on Liverpool Council’s register of awarded contracts have outlined how money is being spent to get the appliance back up and running.

Despite being at the entrance of the Merseyrail station, the maintenance of the escalators is the responsibility of the city council.

Terms were awarded to contractor KONE to get the escalators working again on September 8. According to the register: “A number of components have failed with one escalator out of service. The escalator units require a major intervention to clean, service, replace and overhaul to satisfy health and safety requirements and make operational.” The value of the contract is listed at £37,202.

Among those frustrated by the lack of service was Cllr Alan Gibbons, leader of the Liverpool Community Independents group on the city council. He posted on social media earlier this month how it “was not good enough for one of the gateways to our city centre” for the steps to be out of service for so long.

In a screenshot of a response from Merseytravel posted by Cllr Gibbons, it was said the responsibility for the escalators was with the city and cleaning work got underway by KONE to prepare the area for work. Building surveyors visited the station earlier this month, with work now underway.

Issues with the escalators have dated back to last year, with Merseytravel taking to social media themselves on a number of occasions to report faults to commuters.

Currently the area is boarded by signs indicating the escalators are out of service while work is underway, with fencing advising rail users to use alternative options. The signs read: “We apologise for any inconvenience please use alternative route.”

It is expected the work will take up to a month to complete according to the contract awarded to KONE. Access to the Old Hall Street entrance to the station, which closes daily at 7pm, is not impacted.