New-look Liverpool Lime Street unveiled after £140m upgrade
All ten platforms at Liverpool Lime Street have been officially reopened by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, following the completion of a £140 million upgrade.
The work has been completed in stages over the past 18 months as part of Network Rail’s wider £1 billion Great North Rail Project, and included an eight-week total blockade of the station between June 2-July 20.
Delivered on time and on budget, the upgrade has included two brand new platforms while others have been extended, widened and/ or lengthened to accommodate longer trains. The newly extended Platform 1 was brought back into passenger use on October 14, marking the final stage of the project.
Having taken more than one million work hours to complete, other elements of the upgrade include extensively upgraded signalling, control of which has been moved to Manchester Rail Operating Centre. New track and overhead line equipment has also been installed.
Grayling toured the station on October 15, and inspected the works before unveiling a plaque on the main concourse.
“When Concourse House was demolished it opened up Lime Street’s Grade 2 façade to the city again, and made it a much more fitting neighbour for the magnificent St George’s Hall and the other historic buildings of Liverpool’s World Heritage site,” he said.
“Now these improvements mean the interior of the station matches the exterior. Work on the platforms, tracks and signalling equipment of the station will deliver longer trains, more reliable services, more seats and faster journeys.
“Working closely with Network Rail and train operators, they will ensure people see significant benefits from the £1bn Great North Rail Project. They are part of the Government’s determination to put better journeys for passengers at the heart of everything we do.”
Network Rail’s London North Western Route Managing Director Martin Frobisher added: “This major upgrade is essential to ensure this flagship station can cater for the forecast growth in peak-time travellers over the coming decades.
“This is part of our commitment to support future economic growth across the north of England.
“More, longer, better-managed platforms together with the station’s new signalling system will enable us to run longer trains, with more space and more seats more reliably.”