Hopes for station rise as rail plans revealed
ANEW station and rail link for Skelmersdale are among ambitious goals in a new Merseyside rail plan.
This week, transport bosses agreed a new Long Term Rail Strategy full of ideas for what the region’s transport network could look like.
It predicts that rail passenger numbers will keep growing and says the region’s rail network will keep growing with it.
That means Liverpool Central will have to be expanded or moved – and so will Lime Street.
New stations would be needed, while an old tunnel could be brought back into use and other lines electrified to allow for speedier services.
As with all developments on the railways, these projects are likely to take years to come to fruition. And they will all depend on money from central and local government, which is increasingly hard to come by.
But there are things in this ambitious list that are achievable even in the short term, while work is already under way on some of the high-profile projects.
In his introduction, metro mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Increased connectivity, capacity and frequencies, together with reduced journey times and simplified ticketing across Liverpool city region, and the north of England generally, will enable people and freight to move more efficiently, catalysing economic growth.”
Skelmersdale station is listed as a long-term ambition – but this extension to Merseyrail’s Kirkby line is inching closer.
Skelmersdale is one of the largest towns in the North without a rail connection and campaigners have been calling for one for years.
In September a £5m funding package for the station was agreed with Lancashire County Council and Merseytravel to fund a detailed study into the line, which could lead to new stations in Headbolt lane in Kirkby and in Skelmersdale.
Another £300m is likely to be needed to make the line a reality.
Here are some of the highlights in the report approved by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Transport Committee.
Prediction of massive growth
Network Rail is predicting that rail travel demand in Liverpool will grow by 104% over the next 30 years.
It says: “The analysis suggests that by 2045, a further 7,000-8,000 passengers could be boarding trains at the city centre stations during the 5-6pm evening peak.
“At a very rough level, without any measures to affect station use, this might mean 3,400 more passengers at Central, 2,600 more passengers at Moorfields, 1,200 more passengers at James Street and over 700 more passengers at Lime Street.”
Liverpool Central needs to be expanded
Liverpool Central is small, very busy and getting busier, as those figures show.
It’s a real pinch point on the rail network. And plans that would create more rail traffic are restricted by the lack of space at Central.
There are, for example, ambitious plans to create a tunnel link between Central and Edge Hill – but it would be impossible for the curent station to take the extra passengers.
Mr Rotheram said: “Central Station sits at the heart of our rail network and is already the busiest underground station outside the capital with 15.6 million journeys starting or ending there each year.
“It is reaching capacity and yet we can anticipate demand continuing to rise as our population and economy grow. In order to keep the city region moving we therefore need to increase capacity at the heart of the system in central Liverpool.”
The report confirms that Merseytravel is carrying out a review of the capacity issues.
It is early days yet, but potential solutions include:
“Interventions” at Moorfields and James Street – ie looking to see if more passengers can be encouraged to use those stations, expanding capacity there if needed.
Expansion of the current station.
Expansion of the concourse area.
A new station another location.
The first option could happen anyway as Merseytravel aims to spread the load, while the fourth is the most drastic.
Talks are already under way on the second and third options above.
Developer Augur is planning to develop the in Circus shopping and leisure complex on land behind the Lewis’s building above Central Station. And it is talking to Merseytravel and Network Rail about how the Circus plans could fit with any future redevelopment of Central.
Lime Street also needs expanding – or moving
The current Lime Street development work, which closed the station for 23 days, will increase the number of platforms at Lime Street from nine to 10.
But as demand for rail grows, Lime Street will get congested once again.
Meanwhile, plans are being prepared for a Northern Powerhouse Rail high-speed line from Liverpool to Manchester and Leeds. There would be no room for those services at Lime Street as it is now, so dramatic change could be needed.
This week’s report says; “Merseytravel will undertake the necessary development work with Network Rail to identify the future requirement for a city centre station. This could include extending the platforms in the current location or relocating the station.”
More trains to London – with South Parkway connections
A new West Coast main line franchise is expected to be awarded next year – and Merseytravel wants to use the opportunity to get new services to London.
The report says: “In particular, Liverpool City Region will be pressing for an increase in services between Liverpool and London to two trains an hour; a reinstatement of hourly stops at Milton Keynes; and one service an hour to call at Liverpool South Parkway.”
A new station at the airport
The CA report says that a direct Merseyrail connection to Liverpool John Lennon Airport would “enhance the connectivity of the region to the airport”.
But it says the last serious study of the route was carried out in the mid1990s, so more research is needed.
The airport aims to grow from welcoming 4.8 million passengers a year today to 11 million by 2050.
The CA says: “This level of growth will be required in order to pro-actively support a robust business case (for the station).
Passenger services via Anfield on the Bootle Branch
The Bootle branch line branches off at Wavertree and runs under Edge Lane and through Walton and Anfield to Bootle.
Merseytravel has suggested that the line could also be used for passenger traffic, depending on the expected growth in demand for freight services on the line.
That could pave the way for a station to be built near Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium.
That option was floated by Rick Parry in 2008, when he was chief executive and the club was still planning to move to a new stadium at Stanley Park.
This week’s report says: “An initial study is required to understand fully the freight requirements for the line and what the realistic potential for operating passenger services over the line is.”