MERSEYRAIL still has no agreement with the UK government for extra funding to support its services in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

It means the region's commuter rail network is now one of the only urban rail systems in England that has not yet been granted extra cash individually from the government to deal with a collapse in ticket revenue.

Transport for London secured a £1.6 bn bailout to support tube, bus and overground services on Thursday after London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, warned TfL was on the verge of bankruptcy.

A number of other cities were also given extra money to prop up the finances of their transport systems in April after warnings they might have to halt services altogether.

The Department for Transport said discussions with Merseyrail about its position were ongoing.

Like other urban transport systems, Merseyrail’s income has plunged after lockdown measures caused the vast majority of customers to stop using the network.

However, Merseyrail stands apart from rail transport within most English cities in solely operating a “heavy rail” network.

Other cities, like Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and Newcastle, operate “light rail” tram and metro systems to varying extents and were therefore covered by a funding injection announced by the government in April.

That came shortly after Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham threatened to mothball the entire Metrolink tram system unless new financing was agreed.

Mr Burnham has since said further financing will be needed to support Metrolink and other light rail systems through the crisis.

Speaking last month, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said Merseyrail’s use of a heavy rail network had left it less immediately vulnerable financially and said there were no immediate threats to services.

However, he also warned Merseyrail would need financial support at some point in the coming months.

A spokesman for Merseytravel, the public transport authority for our region, said: “Whilst there is no immediate threat to Merseyrail services, talks are continuing with Department for Transport on a funding package for the network.

“This will be particularly crucial as services are now operating at a significantly reduced capacity to allow for social distancing.”

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The department has been working closely with Liverpool City Region to understand the implications of COVID-19 on the Merseyrail network.

“These discussions are ongoing.”