Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:

“Despite some early teething problems, Merseyrail has returned to being the best-performing rail network in the country – but even the best systems can have bad days.

“The disruption on 9 January caused serious inconvenience for passengers. It had to be a line in the sand which is why I stepped in to convene partners and commission an independent review. While the network is fragmented and we don’t operate the trains, we still have a responsibility to hold those who do to account.

“I’d like to thank Vernon Everitt for his comprehensive, honest and no-nonsense report. Collectively, we’re accepting all of its recommendations and we have already begun working with Merseyrail, Network Rail and Stadler to put them into action – from improving planning and communications to making sure there’s clear system-wide accountability in place.

“Through better collaboration and stronger oversight, we’re working to make sure the region’s rail network is better prepared for the in the future so passengers can have confidence it will keep moving, whatever the weather.”

The full Merseyrail Winter Weather Resilience Review can be viewed here