Merseyside is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north,Greater Manchester to the east,Cheshire to the south,the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest,and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Liverpool.
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the North West of England. Merseyrail serves 69 stations,67 of which it manages,across two lines –the Northern line and the Wirral line. The network uses 750 V DC third rail electrified lines having 75.0 miles (120.7 km) of routes,of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. Since January 2023,Merseyrail commenced replacing its train fleet,withdrawing the Class 507 and 508 trains and introducing 53 new Class 777 trains. The network carried 28.3 million passengers in the 2023/2024 statistical period.
Merseytravel is the passenger transport executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the Liverpool City Region in North West England. It was established on 1 December 1969 as the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive. From 1 April 2014,with the creation of the Liverpool City Region,Merseytravel expanded its area of operation from the metropolitan county of Merseyside to also include the Borough of Halton.
Merseytram was a proposed light rail system for Merseyside,England. Originally proposed in 2001,forming part of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan,it was to consist of three lines,connecting the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley with central Liverpool. The project was postponed due to funding problems before eventually being formally closed down by Merseytravel in October 2013.
The British Rail Class 507 electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger trains were built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Holgate Road carriage works in two batches from 1978 to 1980. They are a variant of British Rail's standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs derived from PEP stock,which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles over five classes. They have worked on the Merseyrail network from new until their retirement in November 2024. Between 2002 and 2005,all units were refurbished by Alstom's Eastleigh Works.
Liverpool South Parkway station is a railway station and bus interchange in the Garston district of Liverpool,England. It serves,via a bus link,Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the neighbouring suburb of Speke,as well as providing an interchange between main line services and the Merseyrail rapid transit/commuter rail network. Opened in 2006 on the site of the former Allerton railway station,it also replaced the nearby Garston station.
The Northern line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,England,the other being the Wirral line. The cross-city route runs from Hunts Cross in south Liverpool then branches in the north to terminate at Southport,Headbolt Lane and Ormskirk (Lancashire).
The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,England,the other being the Northern line.
The Canada Dock Branch is a 4-mile 59 chain long railway line in Liverpool,England. The line's route is from the large Edge Hill rail junction in the east of Liverpool to Seaforth Dock to the north. The line was originally built by the London and North Western Railway terminating at Canada Dock,with a later branch extension added to Alexandra Dock and links onto the MDHC railway lines. The line is not electrified.
The Borderlands line,also known as the Bidston–Wrexham or Wrexham–Bidston line,is a railway line between Bidston on the Wirral Peninsula in England and Wrexham Central in the north-east of Wales. Passenger train services are part of the Wales &Borders franchise and are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The line connects to the Merseyrail network at Bidston,the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton and the Shrewsbury–Chester line at Wrexham General. Parts of the line in Wales are used by freight trains,serving Deeside Industrial Park and the Hanson Cement works to the south of Buckley.
The Skelmersdale branch was a standard gauge railway (SKE) which connected the Liverpool,Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Rainford Junction via Skelmersdale. At Rainford it connected with the Liverpool and Bury Railway and the St. Helens Railway. It was built by the East Lancashire Railway,which was taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway shortly afterward.
The North Mersey Branch (NMB) is a railway line that was constructed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to connect its mainline with the northern Mersey dock system.
Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby,Merseyside,England. It is located 7.5 miles (12 km) north-east of Liverpool Central and is on the Headbolt Lane branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line.
Maghull railway station is a railway station in Maghull,a suburb of Liverpool,England. It is situated on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.
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.
The City Line is the brand name used by Merseytravel on commuter rail services connecting the Liverpool City Region with Greater Manchester,Cheshire,Blackpool and Lancashire starting eastwards from the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station.
Headbolt Lane is a railway station in Kirkby,Merseyside,England,which opened on 5 October 2023.
The British Rail Class 777 METRO is a class of electric multiple unit passenger trains currently being delivered by the Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail,being used on the Merseyrail network in the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. The trains have the ability to operate on the third rail-powered sections of the network,with some units carrying onboard batteries to allow use on unpowered track. Ordered in 2016,construction of the units began in 2018. The first unit entered service on 23 January 2023,following delays to the deployment programme. The Class 777 will replace Merseyrail's current Class 507 and Class 508 units,which were built between 1978 and 1980. Seven units of the total 53 ordered are being configured as battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) for use on non-electrified lines,being designated subclass 777/1.
The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century,with the original formation of the Mersey Railway,however,Merseyrail dates back to the 20th century,namely being set up by British Rail in 1969,it did not become a single network until 1977.
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