Liverpool to Manchester Lines
Encyclopedia
There are two Liverpool to Manchester railway lines between the cities of Liverpool
and Manchester
in the North West of England
. The 'Northern Route' via and to either or follows the route of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway
. The 'Southern Route' via to Manchester Piccadilly operates on lines formerly owned by the Cheshire Lines Committee
.
DMUs
, whilst slower services to Manchester Victoria are generally worked by Class 142
and Class 150
trains. The northerly of the two lines follows George Stephenson's
original 32 mile (51.5 km) Liverpool and Manchester Railway
, which was one of the world's first passenger railways, and the first to have run a 'scheduled' service, having opened in 1830. Many early steam locomotives were initially used on this line including Stephenson's Rocket
which won the Rainhill Trials
in 1829 (see List of Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotives).
, from to , usually calling at , , , , , and continuing to Manchester Airport.
Northern Rail also operates an hourly service calling at all stations along the line between Liverpool Lime Street and . After a short pause at Manchester Victoria, the train then continues to and .
This 'stopping service' is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool Lime Street and , which continues along the WCML
to .
Between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional hourly services operated by Arriva Trains Wales
, which originate from via the North Wales Coast Line
and .
On Sundays there is one train per hour along the line which stops at all stations to Manchester Piccadilly, except and . It is operated by Northern Rail, and continues from Manchester Picadilly to Manchester Airport.
Northern Rail is the dominant operator of the route and their services are run by either Class 142
, Class 150
or Class 156
DMUs. Arriva Trains Wales services between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly are usually operated by Class 175
units, however Class 158s
may substitute on occasions.
The northern Liverpool to Manchester route is also usually used by First TransPennine Express
and East Midlands Trains
for empty coaching stock (ECS) movements, and as a diversionary route when the southern route is closed.
In past years, the line has been used by many express services which included through trains to , and Newcastle (via ), and to , and Edinburgh (diverging onto the WCML at Newton-le-Willows). Local trains also ran to Manchester via Leigh
, but these services ceased in 1969 when the Eccles-Tyldesley-Leigh-Kenyon branch was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe
. The northern Liverpool to Manchester line has also seen regular use over the years for diverted services from the WCML when parts of the latter have been closed for engineering work, however diversions via Manchester instead have now become more common as they do not involve the train reversing, as would be necessary at Edge Hill, and the line is also electrifed for a greater part of the route.
During a journey trains are controlled by:
announced in July 2009 that this line will be electrified
with 25 kV, 50 Hz AC
, overhead line
. The electrification process is due to be completed by 2013, with planning starting immediately as of August 2009. Once the electrification of the line is complete, the journey time between Liverpool and Manchester will be reduced from around 45 minutes today, to 30 minutes due to the greater acceleration achieved by electric trains and a raise of the speed limit along the line from 75 to 90 mph. Class 319
dual-voltage EMUs
will be fully refurbished and transferred from the Thameslink route
to operate between Liverpool and Manchester, and possibly class 323s or 333s as well, whilst Thameslink services will be operated by new energy-efficient trains which are due to be delivered between 2011 and 2013. Upon election, the new Conservative and Liberal Democrat UK government reviewed the timetable of Liverpool to Manchester electrification and delayed the completion by 3 years, with electric trains now not due to start operating until 2016.
As a result of the electrification, TransPennine Express
services between and /, currently operated by Class 185
DMUs via the Manchester to Preston Line
will be operated by Class 350
EMUs transferred from the West Midlands franchise
and re-routed along a portion of the northern Liverpool to Manchester route before joining the West Coast Main Line (WCML)
at Golborne Junction. The elecrification of this route will also offer electric haulage options for freight trains, giving a secondary route to the WCML from Liverpool. Plans to electrify the line completely have been confirmed.
, Class 150
, Class 156
, Class 158
and Class 185
DMUs, although Class 170 and Class 222
units
have also made appearances on the line. These services are run by a mixture of rail companies and the time intervals are not evenly spaced out; there are large gaps between some services, and at other times trains leave within minutes of each other. TransPennine Express (TPE) are the only operator on the route to run modern Class 185
trains, while other operators run a mixture of older rolling stock. While TPE's once per hour service generally take 45 minutes to reach Manchester from Liverpool Lime Street, some Northern Rail services take an hour and ten minutes to cover the 35 miles. The line's newest station is Liverpool South Parkway which opened in June 2006 after its estimated construction cost of £16 million had doubled to £32 million by the time it was completed. This station replaced and Garston
stations and has frequent bus links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport
. This route is busier than the northern route.
The line uses the original London and North Western Railway
route as far as Allerton Junction to the immediate south east of , where the Hunts Cross chord connects it to the line built by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC)
in 1873. A portion of this line between and is now used by the Merseyrail
Northern Line
before entering a new tunnel built in the 1970s beneath Liverpool City Centre. Originally, this CLC line ran between high level and , however Manchester Central station closed in 1969 and during the 1980s was transformed into an exhibition and conference centre commonly known as the GMEX centre. As a result of this closure, the Manchester stations presently in use on the line are and . Liverpool Central high level was demolished in 1973 due to most of the traffic being diverted to Liverpool Lime Street and all of the station's platforms are now underground.
and the other by First TransPennine Express
. East Midlands Trains' services usually also stop at Liverpool South Parkway and , and continue beyond Manchester to via Sheffield and , while the First TransPennine Express services do not call at Widnes, but call instead at and usually continue to via and , although some trains also operate to Hull, , or .
There is also a half-hourly local service operated by Northern Rail along the southern route to Manchester Oxford Road. Many intermediate stations are served by both of these trains, although some just by one per hour, while , and are served only occasionally outside peak periods. On Sundays this service only operates once per hour, and several stations along the route receive no Sunday service.
The majority of the First TransPennine Express Services are operated by Class 185
trains, although once each weekday evening a Class 170 works along the line from Liverpool Lime Street to Hull via Manchester and operates in the opposite direction each Saturday evening. East Midlands Trains mainly use Class 158s
along the line, and as of August 2009, the fleet of 27 units are currently undergoing a thorough refurbishment programme. As on the northern route via Newton-le-Willows, Northern Rail operate a mixture of Class 142
, Class 150
and Class 156
units along the line.
In the past, the CLC
route was used by a variety of local services in addition to limited-stop expresses between the two cities. These included trains between Warrington Central and , Liverpool and Manchester to and even Liverpool to via , although the latter route was closed as long ago as 1952. The diversion of Liverpool-bound trains to Lime Street in 1966 and the closure of Manchester Central in 1969 (all trains subsequently running to Oxford Road and Piccadilly) saw the route downgraded in importance and from then until the mid-1980s it was operated as a self-contained route due to congestion issues at the Manchester end. The service frequency was also lower than at present, for example the British Rail
1985 timetable had one semi-fast and one stopping train per hour in each direction on weekdays (excluding the weekday peaks periods). Through running to destinations east of Manchester via this route only began on a regular basis in 1986, when the opening of a new connection at allowed trains from the Sheffield direction to run via Stockport and thus avoid conflicting movements across the station throat at Piccadilly.
During a journey trains are controlled by:
had its own route to the north of the present two. This ran from station via the Liverpool and Bury Railway
to , then via the Manchester and Southport Railway
to Manchester Victoria; at 37 miles (59.5 km) this route was the longest of the three. It is still possible to travel from Liverpool to Manchester Victoria via this route by taking the Merseyrail Northern Line from to and then transferring onto a Northern Rail service to Manchester, according to National Rail Enquires website this would take 1 hour 38 minutes, compare with less than 50 minutes from Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly.
A further southerly route, using what was St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
and Warrington and Stockport Railway, connected Liverpool Lime Street with Manchester Oxford Road via Ditton Junction
, Warrington Bank Quay (low level platforms) and Timperley
. Part of this route is still used for coal and limestone traffic to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
, but east of Warrington it has been abandoned and now forms part of the Trans Pennine Trail
.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in the North West of England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. The 'Northern Route' via and to either or follows the route of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
. The 'Southern Route' via to Manchester Piccadilly operates on lines formerly owned by the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
.
Northern route
The northern line runs from station, via and , and continues to either or . The semi-fast services to are usually operated by Class 156British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
DMUs
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
, whilst slower services to Manchester Victoria are generally worked by Class 142
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
and Class 150
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
trains. The northerly of the two lines follows George Stephenson's
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
original 32 mile (51.5 km) Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
, which was one of the world's first passenger railways, and the first to have run a 'scheduled' service, having opened in 1830. Many early steam locomotives were initially used on this line including Stephenson's Rocket
Stephenson's Rocket
Stephenson's Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built in Newcastle Upon Tyne at the Forth Street Works of Robert Stephenson and Company in 1829.- Design innovations :...
which won the Rainhill Trials
Rainhill Trials
The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October 1829 in Rainhill, Lancashire for the nearly completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway....
in 1829 (see List of Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotives).
Current services
As of 2009, an hourly semi-fast service is operated by Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, from to , usually calling at , , , , , and continuing to Manchester Airport.
Northern Rail also operates an hourly service calling at all stations along the line between Liverpool Lime Street and . After a short pause at Manchester Victoria, the train then continues to and .
This 'stopping service' is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool Lime Street and , which continues along the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
to .
Between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional hourly services operated by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
, which originate from via the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
and .
On Sundays there is one train per hour along the line which stops at all stations to Manchester Piccadilly, except and . It is operated by Northern Rail, and continues from Manchester Picadilly to Manchester Airport.
Northern Rail is the dominant operator of the route and their services are run by either Class 142
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
, Class 150
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
or Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
DMUs. Arriva Trains Wales services between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly are usually operated by Class 175
British Rail Class 175
The Class 175 Coradia is a type of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. The fleet of 27 sets were built from 1999 to 2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. They are part of the Coradia family of trains along with the Class 180.The entire fleet is owned by the...
units, however Class 158s
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
may substitute on occasions.
The northern Liverpool to Manchester route is also usually used by First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
and East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
for empty coaching stock (ECS) movements, and as a diversionary route when the southern route is closed.
In past years, the line has been used by many express services which included through trains to , and Newcastle (via ), and to , and Edinburgh (diverging onto the WCML at Newton-le-Willows). Local trains also ran to Manchester via Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, but these services ceased in 1969 when the Eccles-Tyldesley-Leigh-Kenyon branch was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. The northern Liverpool to Manchester line has also seen regular use over the years for diverted services from the WCML when parts of the latter have been closed for engineering work, however diversions via Manchester instead have now become more common as they do not involve the train reversing, as would be necessary at Edge Hill, and the line is also electrifed for a greater part of the route.
Technical details
The key junctions on this route are:- Edge Hill West Jn (to CLC line via Warrington Central)
- Edge Hill East Jn (to Edge Hill CS)
- Bootle Branch Jn (to Canada Dock BranchCanada Dock BranchThe Canada Dock Branch is a 4 mile 59 chain long railway line in Liverpool, England. The line runs 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...
, leading to the docks) - Huyton Jn (to Wigan line)
- Earlestown West Jn (WCML Southbound via Warrington Bank Quay)
- Earlestown East Jn (WCML Southbound via Warrington Bank Quay)
- Newton-le-Willows Jn (for daily Wigan via Golborne Junction services)
- Parkside Jn (for daily Wigan via Golborne Junction services)
- Eccles Station Jn (to the Weaste branch towards the Manchester Ship Canal)
- Ordsall Lane Jn (separates Chat Moss line (to Victoria) from Bolton lines (to Piccadilly)
During a journey trains are controlled by:
- Lime Street control (LS) (Lime Street and the Lime Street tunnels)
- Edge Hill signal box (LE) (Edge Hill to Edge Hill junction)
- Huyton signal box (HN) (Edge Hill to Huyton)
- Warrington signal box (WN)
- Astley signal box (AY)
- Eccles signal box (ES)
- Manchester Piccadilly control (MP)
Electrification
The Department for TransportDepartment for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
announced in July 2009 that this line will be electrified
with 25 kV, 50 Hz AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
, overhead line
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
. The electrification process is due to be completed by 2013, with planning starting immediately as of August 2009. Once the electrification of the line is complete, the journey time between Liverpool and Manchester will be reduced from around 45 minutes today, to 30 minutes due to the greater acceleration achieved by electric trains and a raise of the speed limit along the line from 75 to 90 mph. Class 319
British Rail Class 319
The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
dual-voltage EMUs
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
will be fully refurbished and transferred from the Thameslink route
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
to operate between Liverpool and Manchester, and possibly class 323s or 333s as well, whilst Thameslink services will be operated by new energy-efficient trains which are due to be delivered between 2011 and 2013. Upon election, the new Conservative and Liberal Democrat UK government reviewed the timetable of Liverpool to Manchester electrification and delayed the completion by 3 years, with electric trains now not due to start operating until 2016.
As a result of the electrification, TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
services between and /, currently operated by Class 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
DMUs via the Manchester to Preston Line
Manchester to Preston Line
The Manchester to Preston Line runs from the city of Manchester to Preston, Lancashire. It is largely used by commuters entering Manchester from surrounding suburbs and cities, but is also one of the main railway lines in the North West and is utilised by intercity services for Scotland and the...
will be operated by Class 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
EMUs transferred from the West Midlands franchise
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
and re-routed along a portion of the northern Liverpool to Manchester route before joining the West Coast Main Line (WCML)
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
at Golborne Junction. The elecrification of this route will also offer electric haulage options for freight trains, giving a secondary route to the WCML from Liverpool. Plans to electrify the line completely have been confirmed.
Southern route
The southern route runs from Liverpool Lime Street via to Manchester Piccadilly. There are 4 passenger trains per hour (tph) in each direction between Liverpool and Manchester, which are usually operated by a variety of Class 142British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
, Class 150
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
, Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
, Class 158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
and Class 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
DMUs, although Class 170 and Class 222
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
units
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
have also made appearances on the line. These services are run by a mixture of rail companies and the time intervals are not evenly spaced out; there are large gaps between some services, and at other times trains leave within minutes of each other. TransPennine Express (TPE) are the only operator on the route to run modern Class 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
trains, while other operators run a mixture of older rolling stock. While TPE's once per hour service generally take 45 minutes to reach Manchester from Liverpool Lime Street, some Northern Rail services take an hour and ten minutes to cover the 35 miles. The line's newest station is Liverpool South Parkway which opened in June 2006 after its estimated construction cost of £16 million had doubled to £32 million by the time it was completed. This station replaced and Garston
Garston (Merseyside) railway station
Garston station was a railway station in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. It was located on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail suburban rail network.-History:The station was opened on 1 April 1874 by the Cheshire Lines Committee...
stations and has frequent bus links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
. This route is busier than the northern route.
The line uses the original London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
route as far as Allerton Junction to the immediate south east of , where the Hunts Cross chord connects it to the line built by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC)
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
in 1873. A portion of this line between and is now used by the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
Northern Line
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...
before entering a new tunnel built in the 1970s beneath Liverpool City Centre. Originally, this CLC line ran between high level and , however Manchester Central station closed in 1969 and during the 1980s was transformed into an exhibition and conference centre commonly known as the GMEX centre. As a result of this closure, the Manchester stations presently in use on the line are and . Liverpool Central high level was demolished in 1973 due to most of the traffic being diverted to Liverpool Lime Street and all of the station's platforms are now underground.
Current services
Presently (2009), a half-hourly fast service operates between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, calling at Warrington Central and Manchester Oxford Road. Of the two trains per hour, one is operated by East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
and the other by First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
. East Midlands Trains' services usually also stop at Liverpool South Parkway and , and continue beyond Manchester to via Sheffield and , while the First TransPennine Express services do not call at Widnes, but call instead at and usually continue to via and , although some trains also operate to Hull, , or .
There is also a half-hourly local service operated by Northern Rail along the southern route to Manchester Oxford Road. Many intermediate stations are served by both of these trains, although some just by one per hour, while , and are served only occasionally outside peak periods. On Sundays this service only operates once per hour, and several stations along the route receive no Sunday service.
The majority of the First TransPennine Express Services are operated by Class 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
trains, although once each weekday evening a Class 170 works along the line from Liverpool Lime Street to Hull via Manchester and operates in the opposite direction each Saturday evening. East Midlands Trains mainly use Class 158s
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
along the line, and as of August 2009, the fleet of 27 units are currently undergoing a thorough refurbishment programme. As on the northern route via Newton-le-Willows, Northern Rail operate a mixture of Class 142
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
, Class 150
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
and Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
units along the line.
In the past, the CLC
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
route was used by a variety of local services in addition to limited-stop expresses between the two cities. These included trains between Warrington Central and , Liverpool and Manchester to and even Liverpool to via , although the latter route was closed as long ago as 1952. The diversion of Liverpool-bound trains to Lime Street in 1966 and the closure of Manchester Central in 1969 (all trains subsequently running to Oxford Road and Piccadilly) saw the route downgraded in importance and from then until the mid-1980s it was operated as a self-contained route due to congestion issues at the Manchester end. The service frequency was also lower than at present, for example the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
1985 timetable had one semi-fast and one stopping train per hour in each direction on weekdays (excluding the weekday peaks periods). Through running to destinations east of Manchester via this route only began on a regular basis in 1986, when the opening of a new connection at allowed trains from the Sheffield direction to run via Stockport and thus avoid conflicting movements across the station throat at Piccadilly.
Technical details
The key junctions on this route are:- Lime Street (used to move trains onto appropriate platform)
- Edge Hill East Junction (for the Huyton line)
- Allerton West Junction (to WCML, known as Allerton junction)
- Hunts Cross Junction (to Merseyrail Northern Line)
- Glazebrook East Junction (formerly for Warrington-Stockport services, but now used as a passing point)
- Trafford Park Junction (for Euroterminal freight terminal)
- Castlefield Junction (where lines to Manchester converge).
During a journey trains are controlled by:
- Lime Street control (LS) (Lime Street and the Lime Street tunnels)
- Edge Hill signal box (LE) (Edge Hill to Edge Hill junction)
- Allerton signal box (AN) (Edge Hill junction to Liverpool South Parkway)
- Hunts Cross signal box (HC) (Allerton junction to Widnes Station)
- Warrington Central signal box (WC) (Widnes station to Padgate station)
- Glazebrook East signal box (GE) (Birchwood station to Urmston)
- Manchester Piccadilly control (MP) (Urmston to route terminus)
Other routes
The Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
had its own route to the north of the present two. This ran from station via the Liverpool and Bury Railway
Liverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...
to , then via the Manchester and Southport Railway
Manchester and Southport Railway
The Manchester and Southport Railway in England opened on 9 April 1855. It merged with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in January 1885. The line eventually formed part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, 59.5 km Liverpool to Manchester route via a junction with the Liverpool and Bury...
to Manchester Victoria; at 37 miles (59.5 km) this route was the longest of the three. It is still possible to travel from Liverpool to Manchester Victoria via this route by taking the Merseyrail Northern Line from to and then transferring onto a Northern Rail service to Manchester, according to National Rail Enquires website this would take 1 hour 38 minutes, compare with less than 50 minutes from Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly.
A further southerly route, using what was St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, later known as St Helens Railway, was an early railway company in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area which would later develop into the town of Widnes. Branches were opened to Garston, Warrington...
and Warrington and Stockport Railway, connected Liverpool Lime Street with Manchester Oxford Road via Ditton Junction
Ditton railway station
Ditton railway station, earlier known as Ditton Junction, was in the town of Widnes in Cheshire, England on Hale Road on the border between Ditton and Halebank...
, Warrington Bank Quay (low level platforms) and Timperley
Timperley Metrolink station
Timperley Metrolink station serves the town of Timperley in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It is located on Park Road. The station is in Ticketing Zone G.-History:...
. Part of this route is still used for coal and limestone traffic to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
Fiddlers Ferry Power Station is a coal fired power station located in Cheshire in North West England, which is capable of co-firing biomass. It is situated on the north bank of the River Mersey between the towns of Widnes and Warrington. Opened in 1971, the station has a generating capacity of...
, but east of Warrington it has been abandoned and now forms part of the Trans Pennine Trail
Trans Pennine Trail
The Trans Pennine Trail is a long distance path running from coast to coast across northern England entirely on surfaced paths and using only gentle gradients ....
.
See also
- Eccles rail crash (1941)Eccles rail crash (1941)The 1941 Eccles rail crash occurred on 30 December 1941 at the east end of the station at Eccles, Lancashire, in northern England. A westbound train passed danger signals in fog during the wartime blackout, and collided at about 30 mph with an eastbound train traversing a crossover; 23 people...
- Eccles rail crash (1984)Eccles rail crash (1984)This article is about the 1984 rail accident. For the 1941 accident, see Eccles rail crash .The 1984 Eccles rail crash occurred on 4 December 1984 at Eccles, Greater Manchester, when an express passenger train collided at speed with the rear of a freight train of oil tankers. The driver of the...