Transformed Liverpool Lime Street station reopens

© Network Rail

Rail services to and from Liverpool Lime Street station have resumed following a comprehensive eight-week improvement programme.

Worth a whopping £140 million, the transformation of Liverpool Lime Street forms part of the wider Great North Rail Project, which Network Rail says will revolutionise public transport across the North via a raft of track and train improvements. For commuters, this means an additional three services per hour, with new direct services to Scotland.

The most noticeable improvements can be found on the platforms themselves however. Each has been remodelled with many lengthened or widened to accommodate longer trains and greater passenger frequency. Two new platforms, built in 2017 during the initial phase, have also been commissioned.

Elsewhere, almost three kilometres of track surrounding the station have been overhauled and the entire layout has been reconfigured to allow more services to run reliably. Improvements to the signalling and overhead line equipment have also been completed, while signalling control has now moved to the centrally-operated Manchester Rail Operating Centre, meaning more reliable journeys for passengers and faster decision making to reduce delays.

According to Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s London North Western Route Managing Director: “The transformation of Liverpool Lime Street is the station’s biggest upgrade since the 19th century. We’ve remodelled station platforms, making them wider and longer to make room for longer trains and more passengers. An extensive signalling upgrade also allows us to run more trains, more reliably.

 “This vital upgrade is part of £340 million of improvements across the Liverpool City Region and sits within the wider Great North Rail Project. This work will bring significant improvements for train customers for generations to come.”

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling added: “Liverpool Lime Street passengers can now take advantage of new platforms, longer trains, more services and more seats thanks to this upgrade.

“Passengers are at the very heart of every decision we make and this is just one part of a huge investment across the north. This includes £3 billion on the Transpennine upgrade, all Northern and TransPennine Express trains being replaced or refurbished, more than £1 billion in improvements on other parts of the northern network and up to £780 million investment on the East Coast Main line.”

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