It was established in 1977, when existing railway lines were connected by constructing new tunnels under LiverpoolCity Centre and Birkenhead. The network has since been expanded, with new stations built, and electrification of existing lines. Today, Merseyrail serves 69 stations, 67 of which it manages,[b] across two lines – the Northern line and the Wirral line. The network uses 750VDCthird rail electrified lines having 76 miles (122km) of routes, of which 6.5 miles (10.5km) are underground. The network uses the Class 777 trains based on the Stadler METRO platform. The network carried 28.3 million passengers in 2023/2024.
The network consists of two halves, the Northern line and the Wirral line, both of which are mainly third-rail, powered by 750VDCthird rail system, with a small portion from Fazakerley to Headbolt Lane being ran with BEMUs.[9] Each service on both lines, with the exception of the Ellesmere Port Branch, has service frequencies of 15minutes, with the Ellesmere Port branch having a 30 minute frequency.[10] Trains on the Northern line and Wirral line cover the Liverpool City Region. The total route length of the two lines is 120.7km (75.0 miles), accommodating 69 stations. The lines connect Liverpool city centre with cities and towns on the outer reaches of the city region, such as Southport, Chester and Ormskirk.
The City line, marked red on the network map, is operated by several other operators, such as Northern Trains, London Northwestern Railway, TransPennine Express, and others, with funding from Merseytravel. The City line is made up of several branches, which are mainly electrified with OHLE, with one branch, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Warrington, being operated by diesel trains.[11][12]
The Northern line is shown in blue on the Merseyrail[13] and Merseytravel[14] maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate on three main routes: from Hunts Cross in the south of Liverpool to Southport via the Link tunnel from Brunswick station through central Liverpool, from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk, and from Liverpool Central to Headbolt lane via Kirkby. Each route operates a train every 15minutes from Monday to Saturday, giving a frequent interval between trains on the central section. Some additional trains run at peak hours on the Southport line.
On matchdays at Everton F.C.'s Goodison Park and Liverpool F.C.'s Anfield, Northern line services connect with the SoccerBus service at Sandhills station to transport fans to the stadia. Bus departures are at frequent intervals from Sandhills station with ticketing to combine both modes of travel. Kirkdale station is within walking distance of Goodison Park.
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at:
The Wirral line is shown in green on the Merseyrail[13] and Merseytravel[14] maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate from the four terminus stations of: Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby. Each service from one of these the terminus stations runs through Birkenhead Hamilton Square underground station in Birkenhead, then through the Mersey Railway Tunnel, continuing around the single track underground loop tunnel under Liverpool's city centre. Trains head back into the Mersey Railway Tunnel to return to one of the four terminus stations.
Monday-Saturday services are every 15minutes to/from Liverpool to Chester, New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 30minutes to/from Ellesmere Port (Monday–Sunday). These combine to give a service at least every five minutes from Birkenhead Hamilton Square and around the loop under Liverpool's city centre.[15]
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at:
Chester to Crewe and London Euston, Wrexham and Shrewsbury, the North Wales Coast line to Llandudno and Holyhead, and to Manchester either via Warrington or via Northwich and Knutsford;
Thatto Heath station is branded Merseyrail with trains operated by Northern.
The City line is the brand name used by Merseytravel on services out of the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station to 26 stations on its sponsored network, and cross-boundary destinations outside of the Liverpool City Region. Merseytravel has policies in place to improve the service frequency, new services and to invest in the City line. Despite the City line being operated by other train operators than Merseyrail, it is marketed and branded as Merseyrail to meet the passenger transport executive's aims to provide the network with a local identity and shared fare and ticketing structures.[16][17][18] The line is depicted on signage and maps using the colour red and the above word mark.[13][14]
Unlike the Northern and Wirral lines, the City line is not operated by the Serco-Transport UK Group joint venture.[14][13]
The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century, with the original formation of the Mersey Railway and the Mersey Railway Tunnel, among the first underground railway tunnels.[15] The modern Merseyrail network was developed in the 1970s from lines that were previously owned by several different railway companies. The Beeching axe during the early 1960s closed key routes in and around Liverpool, with the council proposing an alternate strategy and advocating the preservation of suburban services integrated into a new regional electrified rapid-transit network. The network underwent a period of electrification and expansion, becoming a single network in 1977, with a major project being the Loop and Link line, creating a continuous underground route through Liverpool city centre.[20]
Over the years, several new stations such as Conway Park in 1998 and Maghull North in 2017 have been added to the network. Most recently in 2023, Headbolt Lane has opened and is served on the network by battery-electric trains.[21] Various proposals have been suggested on how to further expand the network, including beyond the Liverpool City Region area. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that it was planning to use part of a £172million funding package to reopen St James Station in Liverpool City Centre,[22] officially confirmed as Liverpool Baltic station following a public vote in April 2022.[23]
Point-to-point or return tickets are purchased from staffed offices or ticket machines, but the system is tightly integrated with Merseytravel's City Region-wide pass system, which also encompasses the Mersey Ferries and city and regional bus networks. Merseytravel's smart ticketing is via the local MetroCardsmartcard system, including Merseyrail travel.[24]
Typical weekday off-peak service on the Merseyrail-run Northern and Wirral lines, as of May2025[update], is as follows:
Liverpool Lime Street (Liverpool-bound only), Moorfields (Liverpool-bound only), Liverpool James Street, Birkenhead Hamilton Square, Birkenhead Central, Green Lane, Rock Ferry, Bebington, Port Sunlight, Spital, Bromborough Rake, Bromborough, Eastham Rake, Hooton, Little Sutton, Overpool
Fleet
Merseyrail took over the fleet of Class 507 and 508 units from previous operator Arriva Trains Merseyside, all of which have since been withdrawn.[27][28] In 2020, rolling-stock manufacturer Stadler Rail delivered the first of a new fleet of 53 trains, designated Class 777, based on their Stadler METRO platform. Merseytravel has an option to purchase up to 60 additional units could be exercised if services are extended to new destinations such as Helsby, Skelmersdale or Wrexham.[29]
The first Class 777 unit entered into service on the Northern line on 23 January 2023.[30][31] Initially they were being used on the Kirkby route, followed by the Ormskirk route.[32] The trains were introduced to the Wirral line, Ormskirk, Southport and Hunts Cross routes in late 2023.[32] A small portion of the fleet are BEMUs, with these operating the services to Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby.[33]
A Class 503 train on the Loop (Wirral) line. This train was one of the original batch built by the LMS in 1938
The original service on the Merseyrail lines was provided by the Class 502 on the Northern line and Class 503 on the Wirral line. The former was withdrawn by 1980 and the latter by 1985.[39][40]
Introduced from 1978 and 1979 respectively were 33 Class 507 and 43 Class 508 units. Since the 1990s, 15 Class 508 units have been withdrawn as surplus and have later transferred to other operators with 12 units being transferred to Connex South Eastern and three units being transferred to Silverlink. Three additional Class 507 and 508 units, including unit 507006 after a crash at Kirkby in March 2021,[41] were written off following their accidents. In 2023, further withdrawals of the trains began, having been replaced by the new Class 777.
In February 2024, the last Class 508 units were withdrawn, followed by the last Class 507 units in November.[27][28]
As a result of the privatisation of British Rail, the Northern and Wirral lines were brought together as the Mersey Rail Electrics passenger franchise, being sold on 19 January 1997. Although franchises are awarded and administered on a national level (initially through various independent bodies, and later the Department of Transport directly), under the original privatisation legislation of 1993, passenger transport executives (PTEs) were co-signatories of franchise agreements covering their areas – this role being later modified by the Railways Act 2005.[44]
The first train operating company awarded the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise contract was MTL. MTL was originally the operating arm of Merseytravel but had been privatised in 1985. The brand name Merseyrail Electrics was adopted by MTL.
The Merseyrail name became the official brand for the network in the days of British Rail, surviving several franchise holders, although the name was not used by Arriva when holding the franchise. Despite this, Merseytravel continued the Merseyrail branding at stations, allowing the name to be adopted colloquially. With acquisition by Arriva, the train operating company was rebranded Arriva Trains Merseyside from 27 April 2001. Merseyrail is referred to as "Merseyrail Electrics" by National Rail Enquiries, and as "Serco/Abellio Merseyrail" by Merseytravel.
The City line was also privatised under the 1993 Act, but as part of a different, much larger North West Regional Railways (NWRR) franchise. Upon sale on 2 March 1997, the first train operating company awarded the NWRR franchise contract was North Western Trains (owned by Great Western Holdings). The train operating company was later bought by FirstGroup and rebranded First North Western.
The third-rail electric Northern and Wirral lines were largely isolated from the rest of the National Rail network with no through passenger services to or from outside the third-rail Merseyrail network. A decision was to transfer the network into exclusive Merseytravel control, being removed from the national franchising system. The Secretary of State exempted the two lines from being designated as a national railway franchise under the 1993 Act.[45]
When the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise was due for renewal, coming into force on 20 July 2003, Merseytravel contracted the operation of the two lines with a concession extending for up to 25years. The first successful bidder was Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd, a joint venture between Serco and NedRailways (renamed Abellio in 2009).[44]
The City line, which was largely diesel-operated at the time, was not included in 2003 franchise, continuing as a part of the nationally administered rail franchise system. From 11 December 2004, the NWRR franchise was merged into a new Northern franchise. The first train operating company awarded this franchise contract was Northern Rail, also owned by a Serco-NedRail (Abellio) joint venture. This franchise passed to Arriva Rail North on 1 April 2016 and then to Northern Trains on 1 March 2020.
Due to the isolation of the Northern and Wirral lines, Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd are keen to adopt vertical integration – taking responsibility for maintenance of the track from Network Rail.
Performance
Merseyrail has publicly committed to aiming to be the best train operating company in the United Kingdom.[46][47]
In February 2010, Merseyrail was named the most reliable operator of trains in the United Kingdom, with a reliability average of 96.33% during 2009–2010, the highest ever achieved by any United Kingdom train operator.[48]
In 2023, Merseyrail was audited by the UK Government Office of Road & Rail; it found poor performance with 26.2% of trains being delayed by 4 or more minutes and a cancellation rate of 2.2%, an increase of 1.1% on the previous year.[49]
In the year from April 2023 to March 2024, the network carried 28.3million passengers over 511million passenger kilometres, lower than the pre-COVID-19 peak of 30.6million passengers over 556million passenger kilometres in the year 2019–2020.[1]
In 2025, Merseyrail became the "UK’s top train operator" after a survey gave the operator a overall satisfaction score of 93%.[50] Meanwhile their punctuality, at 89%, is the best in the country.[51]
Accidents and incidents
On 26 October 2005, a Merseyrail Class 508 train de-railed in a tunnel on the approach to Liverpool Central underground station. All 119 passengers and train crew were evacuated safely; only the guard was injured. The cause was determined to be rail gauge spread caused by poor maintenance.[52]
On 30 June 2009, a train ran away at Kirkdale, running through a buffer stop and colliding with a wall. A passenger train had passed the site of the accident less than 5 seconds earlier. Merseyrail was fined £85,000 plus costs of £20,970.15 for offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.[54]
On 22 October 2011, an intoxicated teenage girl died after falling between the train and platform at James Street station. The train guard, Christopher McGee, was subsequently convicted of her manslaughter by gross negligence and was jailed for five years.[55]
On 13 March 2021, a Merseyrail Class 507 train collided with the buffer stop at Kirkby station. The cause was found to be that the driver of the train was using a mobile phone whilst driving. The distraction led him to enter the station at nearly three times the permitted speed. He was sacked and prosecuted, pleading guilty in February 2022 to a charge of endangering the safety of people on the railway.[56]
↑ Merseyrail managed 66 stations until 5 October 2023, when Headbolt Lane opened.[2][3]
↑ Chester station is owned by Network Rail and operated by Transport for Wales. Liverpool Lime Street is owned and managed by Network Rail, however Merseyrail operates the underground platforms.
↑ "Memorandum by Merseytravel (RI 30)". UK Parliament - House of Commons - Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs - Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence. October 2000. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023. Northern, Wirral and City lines, despite the existence of different operators are marketed and branded as the Merseyrail network serving Merseyside with local identity, fares and ticketing structures reflecting the PTEs policies.
↑ "Liverpool City Region Strategic Rail Study"(PDF). networkrail.co.uk. Network Rail. October 2020. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022. The 'City Lines', providing more frequent and longer-distance services from Liverpool Lime Street to the east.
1 2 Nugent, Cherie (21 August 2018). "Merseyrail". Rail Professional. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
1 2 "Introduction of Merseyrail Class 777 EMUs 'just days away'". Railway Gazette. 18 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023. The Stadler EMUs will initially be used on the Kirkby line, followed by the Ormskirk line and then the Northern and Wirral lines later in the year.
↑ "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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