Travellers are being reassured that the Liverpool City Region will remain ‘open for business’ when the first phase of a major transformation of Liverpool Lime Street kicks off next month (30 September – 22 October). This is the biggest upgrade the station has seen since the 19th Century.
The plan is to keep people on trains wherever possible, including diverting many mainline rail services to Liverpool South Parkway and getting people to and from the city on the Merseyrail network. Where rail replacement buses are required they will be high quality and will offer both express/limited stop and stopping services.
The Lime Street upgrade is one of 10 major railway upgrades as part of a £340m railway investment in the Liverpool City Region, and sits within the wider Great North Rail Project to transform rail travel for customers in the north of England.
Once complete in 2018, the work will enable an extra three services per hour in and out of Lime Street station, including new direct services to Scotland. Longer, better managed platforms will allow bigger trains, with more space for passengers, in and out of the station.
For the first nine days of the closure, engineers will also be working to complete the installation of the fourth track between Huyton and Roby. This will allow faster no-stop intercity services to overtake local stopping services along this route.
Key travel advice
- The Liverpool City Region remains open for business. You will still be able to get where you want to go, but you will need to make some small changes to your journey.
- Please plan ahead and allow extra time for your journey. Estimated additional travel times will be provided, where possible, to help you plan.
- Based on your final destination, the alternative travel arrangements may actually get you closer to where you need to be.
- Stick to public transport where possible to keep the city moving. If you live within the Liverpool City Region, commercial bus services may also offer a good alternative travel option.
- There will be additional staff on hand at key interchanges to help you get where you need to be.
- Please print/pick up pre-paid tickets before the day of travel.
- Employers and staff should consider what the impacts may be on working patterns and consider adjustments if necessary, such as the potential for flexible working, starting and finishing later and the opportunity for home working.
Over the 23 days, engineers will be remodelling station platforms, increasing them in number and in length. Work will also take place to install overhead line equipment to power electric trains and upgrade track.
This is the first of two phases of work at Liverpool Lime Street, with a further station closure planned in summer 2018. Key travel details are below, but to find out more visit Find out more: www.networkrail.co.uk/lcr
***Key detail***
Journeys via Liverpool South Parkway
Mainline services from destinations such as Manchester, London, Birmingham, Leeds, York and Crewe will start/terminate at Liverpool South Parkway, with the Merseyrail network taking passengers to/from Moorfields station in Liverpool City Centre.
Tickets will be valid on the Merseyrail network during the work so there is no need to purchase a separate ticket.
It is estimated that transferring onto the Merseyrail network should add only 10-15 minutes to your journey. There will be 4 trains per hour, Monday to Saturday, and 2-4 trains per hour on Sundays (depending on the time of travel).
Journeys via Hunts Cross
Services via stations between Warrington and Hunts Cross will start/terminate at Hunts Cross station. Passengers can choose between a quality express rail replacement bus service, non-stop between Hunts Cross and Moorfields station in the Liverpool City Centre or a stopping service calling at stations on the City Line (Liverpool South Parkway, West Allerton, Mossley Hill and Edge Hill) to/from Liverpool Lime Street.
The express rail replacement bus service will run every 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and every 30 minutes on Sunday. This will add, approximately, up to 18 minutes onto journeys (based on peak-time travel).
Stopping rail replacement bus services between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Lime Street will run every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and every hour on Sunday. This will add, approximately, up to 22 minutes onto journeys.
Journeys via St Helens/Huyton
Between 30 September and 8 October, services between Manchester Victoria, Wigan, the Lakes, Scotland, Blackpool and Preston will start/terminate at St Helens Central or St Helens Junction. Quality rail replacement bus services will offer an express/limited stop service and a stopping service calling at all stations on both routes.
Express/limited stop services (calling at St Helens Central, Huyton and Liverpool Lime Street or St Helens Junction, Lea Green, Huyton, Wavertree Tech Park and Liverpool Lime Street) will run hourly on Monday to Saturday. Stopping services, calling at all stations, will run every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and every hour on Sunday.
From 9 October until 20 October, limited rail services will run in and out of Liverpool Lime Street between 6am and 8pm. For services before 6am and after 8pm, quality rail replacement bus services will run between Huyton and Liverpool Lime Street.
On the final two days, 21 – 22 October, services will start/terminate at Huyton station with quality rail replacement bus services on hand to get you to/from Liverpool Lime Street. On Saturday they will run every 15 minutes and on Sunday every 30 minutes.
The rail replacement bus service calling at all stations between St Helens and Liverpool Lime Street will add, approximately, up to 60 minutes to your journey. Those travelling on the express/limited stop service will need to add approximately 35 minutes to their journey. From Huyton station, rail replacement bus services will add approximately up to 28 minutes to journeys (all based on peak-time travel).
Weekend work on the Ordsall Chord in Greater Manchester from now until 23 October will also mean there will be some changes to services in and out of Manchester Victoria. Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel.
For more information on the schemes that make up the £340m rail investment in the Liverpool City Region by the end of 2019 visit www.keepliverpoolmoving.com
