Liverpool Exchange railway station

Last updated

Liverpool Exchange
Liverpool Exchange Station 2019.jpg
General information
Location Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside
England
Grid reference SJ343908
Platforms10
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and East Lancashire Railway
Pre-groupingLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
13 May 1850Opened as "Tithebarn Street"
13 August 1859LYR and ELR amalgamated. Renamed "Liverpool Exchange".
2 July 1888station rebuilding work completed
29 April 1977Closed

Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the city centre of Liverpool, England. Of the four terminal stations in Liverpool's city centre, Exchange station was the only station not accessed via a tunnel.

Contents

The station was badly damaged during World War II and lost a large proportion of the trainshed roof, which was never rebuilt, remaining an iron frame. The station's long-distance services were switched to Liverpool Lime Street in the 1960s, and, as a terminus, the station became redundant in the late 1970s, when its remaining local services switched to the newly opened Merseyrail tunnels under Liverpool city centre. It was closed in 1977, being replaced by the new Moorfields underground station nearby.

Station construction and opening

Tithebarn Street as it was between opening in 1850 and 1859 Tithebarn Street station, Liverpool.jpg
Tithebarn Street as it was between opening in 1850 and 1859

The grandly-appointed station opened on 13 May 1850, replacing an earlier temporary station at Great Howard Street further north up the track. The station was designed by John Hawkshaw. [1] The station had two names because the joint owners could not agree on a name. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) named the station Liverpool Exchange Station with the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) naming the station Liverpool Tithebarn Street. [1] From 1 October 1850 trains of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway (LCSR) began to run into Exchange/Tithebarn Street station with three companies using the terminus. The LCSR became part of the LYR on 14 June 1855. On 13 August 1859, the LYR absorbed the ELR, from which date the name of the station was Liverpool Exchange. [2] [3] [4]

The station was the terminus of the ELR's line to Preston, the LYR's route to Bolton and the LCSR routes to Crosby and Southport.

The station was elevated with ramps for road vehicles to access the station. [2] The existing station could not cope with demand by the 1880s. The approaches were widened to accommodate more tracks. The station was extensively rebuilt and enlarged between 1886 and 1888 and was completed on 2 July 1888. [5] Its site expanded from the original location to cover Clarke's Basin (the original end of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal). The station continued to be the Liverpool terminus of the LYR and was also the terminus of the company's Liverpool to Manchester line.

Under four extremely long glass train-shed roofs lay ten platforms, with an access roadway between platforms 3 and 4, providing long-distance services to destinations such as Manchester Victoria, Blackpool North, the Lake District, Whitehaven, Glasgow Central, Bradford Exchange and Leeds Central.

Author and First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon frequently lodged in the hotel adjoining Exchange station. In 1917, after having earlier written at his London club his A Soldier's Declaration which appeared in the press and was read to the House of Commons, Sassoon was visited at the hotel by Colonel Jones Williams who reprimanded him for his actions. It was from Exchange station that Sassoon made his famous trip to Formby the next day, ripped the ribbon of his Military Cross off his tunic and flung it into the waters at the mouth of the Mersey. [6]

World War II damage

During World War II Liverpool, being a prime convoy port, was a major strategic target for German aircraft bombers. Damage was caused to the approach lines to Liverpool Exchange. In December 1940 the viaduct north of the station received a direct bomb hit and collapsed. The collapse precluded trains from running into the station. Commuter services were diverted to Southport's Lord Street station from Liverpool Central High Level. The route was much longer initially running south to Hunts Cross from Liverpool Central High Level, then circling Liverpool via the North Liverpool Extension Line to the east of the city heading north to Aintree and onto Southport. The temporary service ran from 24 December 1940 until 5 July 1941.

Temporary wooden bridges were built over the collapsed section of the viaduct restoring electric services. The bridges were not strong enough to take steam-hauled trains. Steam-hauled trains and main line services were resumed on 18 August 1941 terminating at Kirkdale with passengers transferring to buses or trams to the city centre. In May 1941 the worst air raids of the war hit Liverpool. A northern section of the train-shed roof at Liverpool Exchange was badly damaged and required demolition. Other parts remained iron frames until closure in the 1970s. Train services to Liverpool Exchange returned in late 1942. [2]

Electrification

From March 1904, electric trains replaced steam hauled trains in the operation of suburban passenger services to Southport Chapel Street. The journey time was significantly shorter than the route followed by the Cheshire Lines Committee's Liverpool Central to Southport Lord Street service, as the LYR's route followed a more direct route parallel with the coast, serving growing intermediate communities. The LYR route therefore proved extremely popular with passengers. The line to Ormskirk was also subsequently electrified, being completed in 1913.

Operations post-World War II

Liverpool Exchange Station in 1954 Liverpool Exchange Station 2057102 9e8419a0.jpg
Liverpool Exchange Station in 1954
Liverpool Exchange's departures end on 4 May 1968 showing station structure and roof and the morning express to Glasgow (Central) about to leave for Preston Liverpool Exchange railway station.jpg
Liverpool Exchange's departures end on 4 May 1968 showing station structure and roof and the morning express to Glasgow (Central) about to leave for Preston

On 3 August 1968, the last British Rail scheduled passenger train to be hauled by a standard gauge steam locomotive ended its journey at Liverpool Exchange, Stanier 'Black 5' no. 45318 having hauled from Preston the Liverpool portion of the evening Glasgow to Liverpool and Manchester train.

Long-distance services from Exchange switched to Liverpool Lime Street in the 1960s, with trains to Yorkshire, Blackpool and the Lake District being withdrawn in 1969 and Glasgow trains following suit in 1970. Exchange was left with only medium-distance journeys to Wigan and Bolton, operated by diesel multiple units, plus the still-busy urban electric services to Southport and Ormskirk.

Closure

The programme of route closures in 1963, known as the Beeching Axe, included the closure of two of Liverpool's mainline terminal stations, Liverpool Exchange and Liverpool Central High Level in Liverpool, and also Woodside Station in Birkenhead.

The Beeching Report in 1963 recommended the closure of the Liverpool Exchange to Southport electric commuter route, and the line to Wigan Wallgate via Rainford Junction. The Liverpool Exchange to Preston via Ormskirk was not recommended for closure. All routes into Liverpool Central High Level station were recommended for closure. Long- and medium-distance routes were to be concentrated on Lime Street station. [2]

Liverpool City Council took a different view, and proposed the retention of the suburban services around the city and their integration into a regional rapid-transit network. This approach was backed up by the Merseyside Area Land Use and Transportation Study, the MALTS report. Liverpool City Council's proposal was adopted and Merseyrail was born. [7]

For Exchange, Liverpool Central High Level and Birkenhead Woodside stations this meant:

In the early 1970s, four of the platforms at Exchange were closed and demolished to enable tunnelling work to begin for the Merseyrail underground. Part of this ambitious scheme involved diverting the Ormskirk and Southport electric services under Exchange station and into a new tunnel running north to south under Liverpool's city centre, named the Link Tunnel, linking separate lines in the north and south of the city creating a north–south crossrail. Exchange station would be replaced by a station in the new tunnel named Moorfields. Trains formerly serving Exchange station call at the new nearby Moorfields underground station then continue in the tunnel to terminate at Liverpool Central underground station, or onwards to Hunts Cross in the extreme south of the city. At both Moorfields and Central stations easy interchange was possible for the first time with Wirral Line services, which until then had operated as a completely separate network.

Liverpool Exchange closed on Saturday 30 April 1977. [5] The replacement Moorfields station opened the following Monday, 2 May.

Within a few years of closure the old station was demolished by Oldham Bros, a local demolition company. However, the frontage of the station building was preserved and incorporated into a new office building built behind, named Mercury Court. The station site is still largely intact used as surface car parking. The approaches to the station still exist on the old brick viaducts. The lines descend and disappear just before Leeds Street and down under the old station into the Link Tunnel of the Merseyrail Northern Line. Parts of the original station wall can still be seen when walking down Pall Mall or Bixteth Street.

Reopening for high-speed rail

As of 2023, the planned route of HS2 has been scaled back . There had been calls by local architects to open Exchange station extending over Leeds Street to the north and onto the approach viaduct. [8] [9] The proposal had been to branch off the 1830 Liverpool-Manchester line at Broad Green and onto the North Liverpool Extension trackbed. The line runs to the north then curves to the south at Walton and Kirkdale. The old Exchange station site is in the heart of Liverpool's business quarter and not far from the cruise liner terminal and the Liverpool Waters development. [10]

Station masters

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyrail</span> Commuter rail network in England

Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line, which are dedicated 750 V DC third rail electrified lines converging into rapid transit-style underground sections in the centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Merseyrail branding is also applied to stations and ticketing on the City Line, which are within the Liverpool City Region but operated by other train operating companies, predominantly Northern Trains. The City Line services operate on the Liverpool to Manchester Lines and the Liverpool to Wigan Line using a mix of AC electric and diesel trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Central railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Liverpool Central railway station in Liverpool, England, forms a central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The station is located underground on two levels, below the site of a former mainline terminus. It is the busiest station in Liverpool, though considerably smaller than Lime Street station, the mainline terminus, and the busiest station to operate solely on the Merseyrail network. The station is the busiest underground station outside London serving 40,000 people daily. The station in passengers per platform is the busiest underground railway station in the United Kingdom at 5,217,547 per platform per annum and laying third in all stations, underground or overground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorfields railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool

Moorfields railway station is an underground railway station in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station is situated on both the Northern and Wirral Lines of the Merseyrail network. It is the third-busiest station on the Merseyrail network, and the largest underground station. It is also the only station on the network having services to all other Merseyrail stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool and Bury Railway</span> Railway line in England

The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching off to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ormskirk railway station</span> Railway station in Lancashire, England

Ormskirk railway station in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, is a cross-platform interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Trains services from Preston on the Ormskirk branch line, 12+34 miles (20.5 km) northeast of Liverpool. The station building and three arch road bridge are both Grade II listed structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigan Wallgate railway station</span> Railway station in Greater Manchester, England

Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station serves two routes, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is 16 miles north-west of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by Northern Trains, who operate all trains serving it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool–Manchester lines</span> Railway line serving between Liverpool and Manchester

There once were four direct railway routes between Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England; only two remain, the two centre routes of the four. The most northerly and the most southerly of the four routes are no longer direct lines. Of the remaining two direct routes, the northern route of the two is fully electric, while the now southern route is a diesel-only line. The most northerly of the four has been split into two routes: the western section operated by Merseyrail electric trains and the eastern section by diesel trains, requiring passengers to change trains between the two cities. The fourth route, the most southerly of the four, has been largely abandoned east of Warrington; the remaining section caters mainly for freight trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Roan railway station</span> Railway station on the Ormskirk Branch of the Northern Line in Liverpool, England

Old Roan railway station is a railway station in Aintree village, Merseyside, England, about seven miles north-east of Liverpool, on the Ormskirk Branch of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandhills railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Sandhills railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale, Liverpool, England, located to the north of the city centre on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It was built by the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway Company and now stands at the junction between the branch to Southport and the branch to Ormskirk and Kirkby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern line (Merseyrail)</span> Line part of the Merseyrail network

The Merseyrail Northern line is a cross-city railway running from Hunts Cross in south Liverpool then to termini in the north at Southport (Merseyside), Ormskirk (Lancashire) and Kirkby (Merseyside). It and the Wirral Line are commuter rail services operated by Merseyrail, serving Merseyside. A third line, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although stations inside Merseytravel's area are branded as Merseyrail. All three lines are funded by Merseytravel.

The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an orbital line circling the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkby railway station</span> Station in Merseyside, England

Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby, Merseyside, England. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern services from Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate. It is situated 7.5 miles (12 km) north-east of Liverpool Central and is the operational terminus of both the Kirkby branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line and the Kirkby Branch Line from Wigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formby railway station</span> Railway station located on the Northern Line in Formby, Merseyside, England

Formby railway station is a railway station in the town of Formby, Merseyside, England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line. The station has a car park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aintree railway station</span> Railway station on the Ormskirk Branch of the Northern Line in Liverpool, England

Aintree railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Aintree, Merseyside, England. It is on the Ormskirk branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line. Until 1968 it was known as Aintree Sefton Arms after a nearby public house. The station's design reflects that it is the closest station to Aintree Racecourse, where the annual Grand National horse race takes place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo railway station (Merseyside)</span> Railway station in Merseyside, United Kingdom

Waterloo railway station is a railway station in Waterloo, Merseyside, England, on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It serves a largely residential area, although there is a number of shops along South Road, where the station entrance is situated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaforth & Litherland railway station</span> Railway station in Merseyside, England

Seaforth & Litherland railway station is a railway station in Seaforth, Merseyside, England, on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It also serves the adjacent area of Litherland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hightown railway station</span> Railway station in Merseyside, England

Hightown railway station serves the village of Hightown in Merseyside, England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkby branch line</span> Railway line in the North West of England

The Kirkby Branch Line is a branch railway line from Wigan to Kirkby. The line's original route was from Liverpool to Bury and later the most northern of the Liverpool to Manchester lines. The line was split at Kirkby in 1977 with the western section forming a high frequency branch of the electrified Merseyrail Northern Line, also referred to as the Kirkby branch line. The Kirkby branch to Wigan remained a low frequency diesel operated service by Northern Trains from Kirkby to Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midge Hall railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Midge Hall railway station was located in Midge Hall, Leyland, closing to passengers in 1961, although the line still exists as the Ormskirk Branch Line.

The Merseyside Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in March 2009. It was the eleventh RUS to be produced. By default, RUSs are established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) unless the latter objects within 60 days. The RUS is included in Network Rail's map as established.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Welbourn 2003 , p. 79
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Disused Stations: Liverpool Exchange Station".
  3. Butt 1995 , p. 145
  4. Awdry 1990 , p. 88
  5. 1 2 Butt 1995 , p. 144
  6. Egremont, Max, 2005, Siegfried Sassoon: a biography, Macmillan, p.155.
  7. "Liverpool City Centre Plan - City Centre Planning Group, 1965"
  8. "it's Liverpool: Go on. You know you want to".
  9. "it's Liverpool: Selling your soul: Heritage Infrastructure".
  10. "The breathtaking potential of Liverpool (and Wirral) Waters". The Guardian.
  11. "Day to Day in Liverpool" . Liverpool Mercury. England. 14 December 1897. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "From All Quarters" . Dundee Evening Post. Scotland. 14 August 1902. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "Half-century on railway" . Liverpool Echo. England. 22 January 1921. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Exchange Stationmaster" . Liverpool Echo. England. 2 March 1921. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Lancaster stationmaster leaving" . Morecambe Guardian. England. 2 May 1930. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "Mr. S.R. Sayer" . Clitheroe Advertiser and Times. England. 30 January 1948. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. "News in Brief" . Birmingham Daily Post. England. 17 May 1961. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "New Rail Chief" . Liverpool Echo. England. 24 November 1966. Retrieved 1 March 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
Bibliography

Further reading

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Sandhills   Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway  Terminus