Transport in Liverpool

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Liverpool in North West England, is a major British city with significant road, rail, and ferry networks, in addition to an international airport and a well-known dock system. As with most other major UK cities, Liverpool's transport infrastructure is centred on its road and rail networks. Public transport services within the city are controlled and run by Merseytravel.

Contents

The road network in and around Liverpool is primarily managed by the relevant local authority in which the roads are located, although (in common with all parts of the UK outside of London) the major trunk roads, in England, are the responsibility of National Highways.

Road

Cars

Motorways of the Liverpool City Region Liverpool City Region Motorways.png
Motorways of the Liverpool City Region

Liverpool has direct road links with many other major areas of England. The A5058 road / Queens Drive inner ring road was completed in 1927, the A580 road / East Lancs Road (the UK's first inter-city highway) to Salford was opened in 1934, and the M57 motorway outer ring road was completed and opened in 1974. The west to east M62 motorway connects Liverpool (since completion of junction 4 in 1976) with Hull, and also provides a link with areas including Manchester, Leeds, and Huddersfield. Not far along the M62 from Liverpool is the interchange with the north to south M6 that provides links to more distant areas including Birmingham, Staffordshire, the Lake District and the border with Scotland. [1]

The Kingsway road tunnel gives direct access to the M53 motorway, which runs east to the M56. The north-south M6 has a junction with the M56. The Queensway road tunnel gives a direct link to the A41 that eventually leads to London, although using the M62 or M6 and eventually M1 is a far quicker route from Liverpool to London. However, the A41 is a relatively quick and direct link with Cheshire and Shropshire. This in turn provides a quick link to the A55 road that runs along the North Wales coastline. [2]

In the early 1960s, there were plans to build a "Liverpool Inner Motorway" which would have been similar to the "urban motorways" which were later built around the cities of Manchester and Leeds. The motorway was still a possibility as the 1970s drew to a close, but it was never built. The only section built was from Leeds Street in the north of the city centre, south along the dock road to Parliament Street. [3]

Buses

Merseytravel acts as the responsible authority for the planning and commissioning of local bus services in Liverpool and throughout the wider Merseyside area. [4] Currently, Arriva and Stagecoach provide the vast majority of local bus services within the city, with a number of smaller operators providing specific routes where there is a defined public need. [5] For-profit bus operators within Liverpool are given extensive public subsidising by the taxpayer, to the cost of £60 million each year. [6] [7] In 2022, a new maximum £2 fare for single bus journeys was introduced within the region across all operators, [8] bringing down the average price of a single fare. It is the ambition of Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram to get bus services within the region up to a 'London-standard' of service quality. As part of this ambition, a new integrated smart ticketing system with fare capping will be introduced, [9] alongside a new public franchising model under which operators can bid for Merseytravel contracts to run their branded buses. [10] [11]

Long-distance coach services arrive at and depart from the National Express stop at Liverpool One bus station. Local buses serve the whole of the city and its surrounding areas. The two principal termini for local buses are Queen Square Bus Station (located near Lime Street railway station) for services north, east, and west of the city, and Liverpool One bus station (located near the Albert Dock) for services to the south and east.

Tour bus services from City Sights and City Explorer by Maghull coaches operate in the city centre.

Cycling

National Cycle Route 56, National Cycle Route 62 (along the former North Liverpool Extension Line) and National Cycle Route 810 passes through Liverpool. In 2020 VOI e-scooter-sharing system launched in Liverpool. [12]

Rail

Liverpool has a proud tradition in locomotive history. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the first steam-powered railway; established in 1830, it pioneered what society understands trainlines to be today. The Mersey Railway was the second underground line in the world, opened in 1886. The first ever elevated train line and what could be conceived as a metro today, the Liverpool Overhead Railway first started ferrying dockers in 1893, ending its life with decreased ridership in 1957.

Today, Liverpool is served by two separate rail networks. The local urban rail network, which is underground in the centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead, is managed and run by Merseyrail and serves the whole of Merseyside, also providing links beyond. The national mainline network, which is managed by Network Rail, provides Liverpool with connections to major towns and cities across England.

Merseyrail

Map of the Merseyrail network and Northern-operated City Line. Merseyrailnetworkmap.svg
Map of the Merseyrail network and Northern-operated City Line.

Liverpool's local hybrid suburban-urban rail network is known as Merseyrail and consists of three lines: the Northern Line, which runs to Southport, Ormskirk, and Kirkby to the north of the city and Hunts Cross to the south. The Wirral Line, which runs through the Mersey Railway Tunnel and has branches to New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester, and Ellesmere Port; and the City Line, which begins at Lime Street and provides links to St Helens, Wigan, Preston, Warrington, and Manchester. The Northern and Wirral lines of the network are electrified while diesel and electric trains operate on the separate City Line.

Services on the Northern and Wirral lines are operated by the Merseyrail franchise and managed by Merseytravel. This electric network is one of the busiest and most extensive in the country, covering 75 miles of track, with an average of 100,000 passenger journeys per weekday. [13] [14] Local services on the City Line are operated by Northern rather than Merseyrail, although the line itself remains part of the Merseyrail network.

Within the city centre, the majority of the network is underground, with four city centre stations and over 6.5 miles of tunnels. [13]

Mainline services

Liverpool Lime Street station Lime street july 2010.jpg
Liverpool Lime Street station

Mainline rail services in Liverpool provide the city with links across England and are centred on Lime Street station in the city centre. The station, which is owned by Network Rail, [15] is served by five train operating companies in addition to services provided by Merseyrail on the local network. [16]

The primary operator for mainline services out of Liverpool is Northern, who provide local links to other towns and cities in the North West including Blackpool, Manchester, Preston, Warrington, and Wigan. [17] [18] [19] Many of these services also call at other stations within the city including Broad Green, Edge Hill, Hunts Cross, Huyton, South Parkway, and Wavertree Technology Park. [17] [18] [19]

The city is linked to London Euston via the West Coast Main Line with services run by Avanti West Coast. One train per hour leaves Lime Street station destined for the capital, with the service increasing to two trains per hour during peak times. [20]

Other rail operators that provide services from Liverpool include West Midlands Trains, [21] TransPennine Express, [22] and East Midlands Railway, [23] who provide links to other major towns and cities in the UK, including but not limited to Birmingham, Leeds, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, and York. [21] [22] [23]

From March 2019, Transport for Wales started to operate an hourly service to Chester via the recently upgraded Halton Curve. This service extends into North Wales terminating at Wrexham General at peak times.

Historic tramway and railways

Historically, Liverpool had an extensive tram network, construction of which started in 1869 by the Liverpool Tramways Company; however, this was dismantled in the 1950s. In 2001, a plan to build new a light rail system, Merseytram was developed. After central government insisted on additional guarantees prior to the release of previously committed funds, it was cancelled in November 2005 and the project finally killed off in 2013.

Other railway lines, such as the Canada Dock Branch from Edge Hill to Kirkdale, no longer see passenger services, or have been removed completely, such as the North Liverpool Extension Line.

Liverpool had been home to the first electrically powered overhead railway in the world. Known as the Liverpool Overhead Railway opening on 4 February 1893 with an eventual total of 14 stations. The line suffered extensive damage during the Second World War and was eventually closed down on 30 December 1956 with considerable protest. The tunnel portal in Dingle and Dingle underground station, are the only large surviving signs of the railway's existence as the iron elevated sections were removed for scrap.

Airport

Liverpool John Lennon Airport entrance Liverpool John Lennon Airport.jpg
Liverpool John Lennon Airport entrance

Opened in the 1930s, Liverpool Airport, is situated near Speke in the south of the city. It was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2001, in honour of musician and founding member of The Beatles, John Lennon. The airport's logo consists of a sketch that John Lennon had drawn of himself, and the words "Above us only sky", lyrics from his song "Imagine". The sensitivity surrounding the airport's name change meant that the logo had to be designed in secret before it could be unveiled by John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. The old airport was the starting point for Beatles tours in the sixties, and images of the band boarding planes there were seen throughout the world. In 2006 the airport handled nearly 5 million passengers and now serves 64 destinations, including many key European cities. New routes to New York and Toronto in summer 2007 were withdrawn towards the end of the year, as was the route to London City Airport, due to low passenger numbers.

There is a scheduled rail service from Liverpool Lime Street station to Manchester Airport for flights to North America and Asia.

Water transport

Liverpool's position on the River Mersey, close to the mouth into the Irish Sea, has contributed to its rise as a major port within the United Kingdom. In addition to the Port of Liverpool's role as a major cargo terminal, the port also provides a base for ferry and cruise services.

19th century

Isle of Man Steam Packet Isle of Man Steam Packet Poster..JPG
Isle of Man Steam Packet

In the 19th Century, transatlantic trade and passenger travel was served to destinations such as New York City from Liverpool by;

American companies

Liverpool companies

White Star Line Liverpool-New York poster White Star Line Steam Card.jpg
White Star Line Liverpool-New York poster

In 1972 Canadian Pacific unit CP Ships were the last transatlantic line to operate from Liverpool. Ferries also operated to North Wales from Liverpool by Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company.

Port of Liverpool

Isle of Man Steam Packet route map Steam packet route map.svg
Isle of Man Steam Packet route map

In 2002, 716,000 passengers used the Port of Liverpool, with the Isle of Man and Ireland being the two most important passenger routes. The goods trade, which was very low after several decades of decline, is growing once again.

Together, the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal offer a comprehensive range of port facilities, handling more than 40 million tonnes of cargo and 15,000 ship movements a year – making the River Mersey Britain's third busiest estuary. [24]

The Port and Canal form the "green" gateway to an economy of more than 120,000 industrial and commercial enterprises and a population equal to that of greater London.

The Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal are now as one under the banner of Peel Ports, the UK's second largest ports group. 2016 saw the opening of Liverpool2, a £400 million extension to the port that allows two 13,500 TEU post-Panamax vessels simultaneously. [25]

Liverpool Cruise Terminal

Liverpool Cruise Terminal in the city centre provides long distance passenger cruises, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines MS Black Watch and Cruise & Maritime Voyages MS Magellan using the terminal to depart to Iceland, France, Spain and Norway. [26]

Mersey crossings

There are three tunnels under the River Mersey: the Mersey Railway Tunnel; and two road tunnels, Queensway Tunnel and Kingsway Tunnel.

The Mersey Ferry continues to provide an important link between Liverpool and the Wirral, as well as a tourist attraction. Made famous by the song "Ferry Cross the Mersey" by Gerry & The Pacemakers, the song is now played on the ferryboats themselves every time they prepare to dock at Liverpool after a tourist cruise.

The Mersey is crossed upstream from Liverpool at Runcorn and Widnes, by the Mersey Gateway and the Silver Jubilee Bridge (usually known simply as the "Runcorn Bridge") and the Runcorn Railway Bridge.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Built between 1770 and 1816, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal links Liverpool and the Mersey to Leeds and the River Aire. Its original terminus had been at Old Hall Street, Pall Mall, Chisenhale Street, but was cut back to Eldonian Village in the 1960s. In 2009, work was completed on the Liverpool Canal Link, a £22 million, 1.5-mile extension that links the canal to the Albert Dock. [27]

Irish Sea

P&O Ferries operate MS Norbay to Dublin from Gladstone Dock, Port of Liverpool, Bootle in nearby Sefton. Isle of Man Steam Packet operate HSC Manannan to Douglas, Isle of Man from Liverpool during summertime.

Proposals

Liverpool was the third least car dependent city in the Campaign for Better Transport's car dependency report.

New railway stations & ferries

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that they were planning on using £172m of funding on several major transport projects. [28] These included:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the transport in the United Kingdom

Transport in the United Kingdom is highly facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. Transport is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyside</span> County of England

Merseyside is 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.

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

Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. 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 25.5 million passengers in the 2022/2023 statistical period.

Merseytravel is the passenger transport executive, responsible for the coordination of public transport in the Liverpool City Region in North West England. Merseytravel 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Liverpool</span> Series of docks on the River Mersey, Liverpool, England

The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed 7.5-mile (12.1 km) dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river. The port was extended in 2016 by the building of an in-river container terminal at Seaforth Dock, named Liverpool2. The terminal can berth two 14,000 container Post-Panamax ships.

<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">Merseytram</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool James Street railway station</span> Underground railway station in Liverpool, UK

Liverpool James Street is a railway station located in the centre of Liverpool, England; it is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. James Street is an underground station, with access to the platforms via lifts from the booking hall. At certain times, the platforms are accessed via a pedestrian tunnel from the India Buildings on Water Street. As of 2013/14, James Street was the fifth-busiest station on the Merseyrail network.

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

Hunts Cross railway station is a Grade II listed railway station in Hunt's Cross, Liverpool, England. It is situated on the southern branch of the Merseytravel City Line's Liverpool to Manchester route, and is the southern terminus of Merseyrail's Northern Line.

<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">Liverpool City Region</span> Mayoral combined authority area in Northern England

Liverpool City Region is a mayoral combined authority area in North West England.

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

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.

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

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, Kirkby and Ormskirk (Lancashire).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral line</span> Commuter rail route in Merseyside, England

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 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">Liverpool–Wigan line</span> Railway line in the north-west of England

The Liverpool–Wigan line is a railway line in the north-west of England, running between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western via St Helens Central station. The line is a part of the electrified Merseyrail Liverpool to Wigan City Line. The stations, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Trains, however the stations are branded Merseyrail using Merseyrail ticketing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ince & Elton railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Ince & Elton railway station, on the Hooton–Helsby line, serves both Ince and Elton in Cheshire, England. The station is unstaffed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Ferry railway station</span> Railway station on the Chester & Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral line in England

Rock Ferry railway station is situated in the Rock Ferry area of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The station lies 4.5 miles (7 km) south west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station has an island platform with four platforms in total and four tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Line (Merseytravel)</span> Railway network brand in the UK

The City Line is the brand name used by Merseytravel on suburban rail services in the Liverpool City Region starting eastwards from the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station.

<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 Headbolt Lane. 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 Headbolt Lane to Manchester.

References

  1. ↑ "Motorway Database M62". cdrd.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  2. ↑ "Motorway Database A55". cdrd.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  3. ↑ "Liverpool Inner Motorway". cdrd.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Merseytravel Constitution". Merseytravel. June 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Subsidized Bus Services - a Freedom of Information request to Merseytravel". WhatDoTheyKnow. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  6. ↑ ybnews (23 July 2019). "Mersey bus subsidies will have to rise by tens of millions of pounds a year". Liverpool Business News. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Topham, Gwyn; correspondent, Gwyn Topham Transport (6 October 2023). "Liverpool announces it will bring buses back under public control". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Mayor announces new £2 bus fares to be available within weeks". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "£10m to develop region's tap-and-go ticketing system". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "We're taking back control: Liverpool City Region Mayor announces biggest shake up to bus network in 40 years". www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Moving Buses Forward – proposed franchising scheme for Liverpool" (PDF). Competition Markets Authority. 3 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Thorp, Liam (6 October 2020). "New way to get around the city centre as e-scooters launch". Liverpool Echo.
  13. 1 2 "Who are Merseyrail". Merseyrail. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  14. ↑ "Public transport". Liverpool City Council. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  15. ↑ "Liverpool Lime Street". Network Rail . Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  16. ↑ "Liverpool Lime Street Station Information". Northern Rail . Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  17. 1 2 "Liverpool to Wigan, Preston and Blackpool and Preston to Ormskirk" (PDF). Northern Rail . Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  18. 1 2 "Liverpool to Manchester Airport and Warrington Bank Quay via Earlestown (includes Helsby to Ellesmere Port)" (PDF). Northern Rail . Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  19. 1 2 "Liverpool to Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Central" (PDF). Northern Rail . Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  20. ↑ Timetables Avanti West Coast
  21. 1 2 "Liverpool". London Midland. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  22. 1 2 "Trains to Liverpool". First TransPennine Express . Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  23. 1 2 "Popular Routes". East Midlands Trains . Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal". Peel Ports. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  25. ↑ "Deep sea container port opens to ships". BBC News. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  26. ↑ Davis, Laura (7 January 2019). "Cruises you can get from Liverpool in 2019". liverpoolecho.
  27. ↑ "New canal link to boost tourism". 25 March 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  28. ↑ Tyrrell, Nick (30 August 2019). "Merseyside set to get two new train stations and replacement ferries". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
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