The station originally opened as Bootle Lane was built by the
Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway and
Liverpool and Bury Railway at the start of their joint line into
Liverpool, opening in 1848. In 1977 it became part of the
Merseyrail network's Northern Line.
Five tunnels The station is aligned north–south. When facing north, five tunnel portals can be seen north of the platforms. To the west lies a cluster of three very short tunnels, running under a road. These tunnels were to give greater throughput, and are all on the same line. The westernmost tunnel is used for shunting. The next tunnel is the main Merseyrail Northern Line tunnel. The third tunnel is disused, but was in use until 1968 as the fast line for expresses to Yorkshire and Manchester. To the east is a cluster of two tunnels. The easternmost tunnel was an abandoned project. The adjacent tunnel runs in tunnels and cuttings to the disused
Walton on the Hill station, and was a part of the
North Liverpool Extension Line. This section of line was used from 1879 to 1979; however, trains running on it never called at Kirkdale station.
Freight lines Two freight lines passed through or under the station. The busy
Canada Dock Branch freight-only line serving
Liverpool Docks passes under the station, roughly north-east to south-west, via a tunnel. The North Liverpool Extension Line, also referred to as the eastern section of the Outer Loop, emerged from the north out of a tunnel next to the station, running parallel to the west platform. This section of line was used from 1879 to 1979. ==Facilities==