North West business briefs: LJLA; Metrolink; Merseyrail; Royal …

Saturday, July 1, was the 90th anniversary of the opening of Liverpool Airport when, on July 1, 1933, Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, the Secretary of State for Air, declared the airport officially open at a grand civic ceremony, followed by one of the largest civil air displays seen at the time.

Celebrations over the weekend included the placing of a time capsule in the terminal, to be opened in 2058 on the airport’s 125th Anniversary, a big birthday cake in the departure lounge with cupcakes for passengers, while listening to a birthday DJ.

Birthday messages from a host of local well known faces and business organisations appeared on social media on Saturday, too. Popular aviation YouTube channel, Airliners Live, also staged a special livestream from a vantage point overlooking the airfield.

Liverpool was one of the UK’s first airports and at the forefront of aviation in the region for many years and there has been a lot of change over the past nine decades both in terms of levels of business, the location of the terminal building, and the runway.

The converted farmhouse that was originally used as the airport terminal, was soon replaced in the late 1930’s by the famous art deco terminal building and control tower, which has since become an hotel.

Today, passengers use the terminal that was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2002 and which has since undergone further developments. Tom Woods, LJLA’s digital marketing executive who organised the celebrations, said: ”It is important that we take the time to properly mark occasions like this and pay homage to all of the passengers and staff that have helped make the airport a great place to work and travel from over the years.”

Two tram stops on Metrolink’s Eccles line will close for 10 weeks to allow for major rail replacement work to take place. From Saturday, July 15, to Thursday, September 21, track renewal work will be carried out on Eccles New Road which will result in the closure of Eccles and Ladywell tram stops. Services will continue to operate as normal between Weaste and the city centre, as well as the MediaCityUK and Trafford Park Metrolink lines,

A fully accessible bus replacement service will also run to take passengers between Weaste and Eccles, serving Ladywell, for onward journeys. Signed pedestrian walking routes will be in place and customer service staff will be present to help passengers. More information can be found online on TfGM’s website.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) regularly carry out maintenance, repairs and renewal to track, overheard wires and other equipment to improve the travelling experience and service for customers. Work has previously been carried out on the Eccles line in 2021 and 2022 to replace sections of worn rail along the line, which first opened 22 years ago. A total of 1.7km of worn rails will be replaced as part of the latest phase.

Undertaking the repairs over the summer and early autumn will ensure that as much work as possible is completed and reduce the need to close the line for longer in the future. Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s head of Metrolink, said: “I’d like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience these works will cause.It is, however, essential to do to keep our services safe into the future.

“It will be the final summer of rail replacement for some years, and this year we will be running trams all the way to Weaste from the city centre, in order to minimise disruption.”

Plans for Headbolt Lane station

Due to preparatory work for the new Merseyrail station at Headbolt Lane, there will be some changes to services on the Kirkby line from July 1, to August 13. Passengers are advised to think ahead and plan their journeys.

The impact on services is as follows: Saturday 1 July – Sunday 9 July: No trains will run between Kirkby and Liverpool Central. Rail replacement buses will operate between Kirkby and Moorfields, calling at all stations. To prevent trains on the Ormskirk line from becoming crowded, additional services will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central at peak times from Monday to Friday. Passengers who normally use Rice Lane station should use Walton station instead.

Monday 10 July – Sunday 13 August: A limited train service will operate every 45 minutes between Fazakerley and Liverpool Central, calling at all stations. A rail replacement bus service will operate between Kirkby, Fazakerley and Aintree. In addition, at peak hours including early morning services, there will be an express rail replacement bus service between Kirkby and Moorfields, calling at Fazakerley and Rice Lane only. All rail replacement bus times are available in the journey planner at merseyrail.org. Monday 14 August: A normal timetable is expected to operate from this date.

Zoe Hands, chief operating officer at Merseyrail, said: “We sincerely apologise to Kirkby line customers for the disruption this vital work will cause. We know this will impact passengers, and we only undertake such closures when there is no other option.

“We have worked hard to provide rail replacement bus services and the option of trains at Fazakerley in order to mitigate the negative impact this period will have. However, I am confident that once this vital work is done the people of Kirkby will be delighted with their new station at Headbolt Lane.”

Golf fans travelling to The Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club this summer are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time to make sure they can get to and from the event.

The 151st Open is taking place at the Hoylake-based course between July 16-23, and is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the area. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is working closely with local partners including rail and bus operators, Merseyside Police, Wirral Council and event organisers to help ensure that everybody’s journeys to and from the course are as easy and safe as possible.

Cllr Steve Foulkes, chair of the combined authority’s transport committee, said: “This event always brings thousands of visitors to the area, and we’re expecting it will be no different this year. We want everyone to enjoy themselves so it’s important that attendees think ahead and plan their journeys to avoid any disappointment. And we also ask that people are kind, patient and respectful of each other and our transport staff who will be working so hard to get everybody to and from this year’s championship.”

Those travelling to the championship can find useful information to plan their journey on our webpage at https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/customer-information/open-golf-travel-advice/

Travel tips for those attending include: Cycle or walk if you can, but if you’re using public transport, plan ahead, check timetables, leave plenty of time for journeys, consider your options, if possible buy travel tickets in advance and online, arrive early at the station, stop or ferry terminal in good time, consider multi-modal tickets that can be used over different modes of transport, such as Saveaways, be patient, and please be kind and respectful to transport staff.

Sports nutrition group Science in Sport (SiS), which has a key production site in Blackburn, has announced a ground-breaking partnership renewal extension with British cycling team, INEOS Grenadiers which takes the longstanding partnership through to 2026.

SiS’s team of embedded practitioners and scientists first began working with the INEOS Grenadiers in 2015, when they were formerly known as Team Sky – a partnership which to date has achieved eight Grand Tour victories, including four Tour de France titles. Chemical giant INEOS is owned by Manchester-born Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

As part of the new agreement, SiS has committed to a three-year PhD study at Liverpool John Moores University. The project will be dedicated to research into the specific performance challenges of INEOS Grenadiers, including a variety of focuses distinct to the needs of endurance cyclists. In addition, SiS will continue to provide bespoke products, designed to meet the complex and varying needs of individual riders, already demonstrated via the development of products within the SiS LAB Range.

Stephen Moon, CEO of Science in Sport, said: “At the core of Science in Sport is a philosophy of gaining deep elite insight, and this leading to the development of products to meet the needs of world-class athletes. Our longstanding relationship with INEOS Grenadiers has been the flagship of this approach. We have contributed to many of the great performances by INEOS Grenadiers over the years, and the partnership has led to the introduction of several products which our customers now use on a daily basis.”

Rod Ellingworth, deputy team principal of INEOS Grenadiers, said: “The team’s long-standing partnership with SiS has been instrumental in delivering our riders the most scientifically advanced nutrition solutions in the sport. Our integrated, single team approach means we can deliver individualised products to specific bike riders quickly – while simultaneously pursuing longer term strategic R&D projects. The SiS products are second to none, but it’s the pursuit of genuinely scientific, performance focused solutions that really distinguishes this partnership – which we’re delighted to extend for another three seasons.”

Sean Williams

Cheadle-based lender, Together, will be donating £100,000 to charity Forever Manchester. The finance will be used to establish a ‘Together Energy Fund’, supporting local community centres and hubs across Greater Manchester to help with rising energy costs.

Forever Manchester funds and supports a wide variety of grassroots community projects across Greater Manchester including older and young people’s projects, homelessness, mental health support groups, sports clubs and environmental projects. It has delivered £51m in local community grants to schemes across Greater Manchester since it was formed more than three decades ago – transforming the lives of 1.1 million people involved grassroots projects.

Nick Massey, chief executive at Forever Manchester, said: “This focused approach from Together demonstrates insight into the problems facing our communities today and will deliver meaningful impact to a larger number of Greater Manchester residents.”

In line with Together’s Sustainability Strategy, the donation forms part of the specialist lender’s wider activity supporting charities in the region. Sean Williams, head of professional sector at Together, said: “By establishing this fund for Forever Manchester we will be able to continue our commitment towards helping the local community, providing much needed finance to support with rising energy costs.

“These community centres help a range of residents across Manchester, and the grant will benefit thousands of people. Having worked with Forever Manchester as my chosen charity partner through my year as chair of pro-manchester, I know this fund will make such a significant difference to so many community groups and families.”