Lining up for future of area’s rail travel
THE Merseyrail network forms a vital part of our region’s transport network, transporting millions of people every year.
Although it has been affected by the pandemic, like all operators, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic about the new rail network.
While the delivery of new trains has been delayed, it is hoped they will start running later this year.
They offer a range of improvements, among them being level access for wheelchair users, increased capacity and free WiFi.
These trains are also specially designed to enable them to run on tracks outside of the current Merseyrail network, opening up the potential for routes outside of our region in the future.
Aside from new trains, a number of extensions to the network’s track network have been proposed.
These lines have not progressed past a proposal stage, meaning it would require years of planning and securing large sums of funding to make them a reality.
We look at the most compelling of these proposals and the ones that would be the most transformative for passengers in our region:
Isolated from the rail network since its station closed in 1956, Skelmersdale is only accessible by road.
Many residents have been calling for a station to reopen there for decades, providing them with far quicker access to Liverpool and towns nearby.
The announcement that the Merseyrail network would be extended past Kirkby, with a new station at Headbolt Lane, raised hopes that the extension could form the basis for a future line further out towards Skelmersdale.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Lancashire
County Council are set to carry out more feasibility work on potential rail routes to the town this year.
Liverpool fans have called for train services to Anfield for a long time, arguing public transport currently available to get to the stadium doesn’t meet demand.
Those calls have only grown following an expansion of the stadium’s capacity years ago, with another set to follow soon.
There is already a railway line running up towards Anfield, but it is currently only used for freight traffic in and out of the port.
However, feasibility studies on reopening the line are now taking place, with hopes that the line could eventually be used for passenger traffic and provide muchneeded extra capacity to take fans to close to the ground.
By far the most unlikely on this list, the North Liverpool Extension line once carried passengers up through much of the east of the city, serving areas such as
West Derby, Knotty Ash and Gateacre. Large areas of this part of the city are now isolated from the rail network after the line finally completely closed in the 1970s. The former track bed of the line now forms the Liverpool loop walking track, and though there have been calls to reestablish the railway in some form, it would likely prove extremely difficult and expensive.
Unlike many cities in the UK, Liverpool’s airport isn’t directly linked to the city centre by train, with travellers relying on buses to take them to nearby South Parkway.
Bosses at the airport have talked previously about the potential effect of a direct rail link in boosting passenger numbers from the airport and many passengers also back the plans.
Like the Anfield link, further work would need to take place to establish the feasibility of a station at the airport but many believe it is one that could have a strong business case.