Merseyrail

{{Merseyrail map Merseyrail manages 67 stations on the network. Each service on both lines, with the exception of the Ellesmere Port Branch, has service frequencies of 15minutes, with the Ellesmere Port branch having a 30-minute frequency. Trains on the Northern line and Wirral line cover the Liverpool City Region. The total route length of the two lines is , accommodating 69 stations. The lines connect Liverpool city centre with cities and towns on the outer reaches of the city region, such as Southport, Chester and Ormskirk. The City line, marked red on the network map, is operated by several other operators, such as Northern Trains, London Northwestern Railway, TransPennine Express, and others, with funding from Merseytravel. The City line is made up of several branches, which are mainly electrified with OHLE, with one branch, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Warrington, being operated by diesel trains. The three lines interchange as follows: • Northern and City line services interchange at Liverpool South Parkway and Hunts Cross in the south of the city. • Wirral and City lines interchange at Lime Street in the city centre. • Northern and Wirral lines interchange at Liverpool Central and Moorfields in the city centre. Northern line The Northern line is shown in blue on the Merseyrail maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate on three main routes: from Hunts Cross in the south of Liverpool to via the Link tunnel from Brunswick station through central Liverpool, from Liverpool Central to , and from Liverpool Central to Headbolt lane via Kirkby. Each route operates a train every 15minutes from Monday to Saturday, giving a frequent interval between trains on the central section. Some additional trains run at peak hours on the Southport line. On matchdays at Liverpool F.C.'s Anfield, Northern line services connect with the SoccerBus service at Sandhills station to transport fans to the stadia. Bus departures are at frequent intervals from Sandhills station with ticketing to combine both modes of travel. Sandhills station is within walking distance of Everton FC's Hill Dickinson Stadium. Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at: • to and ; • Liverpool South Parkway for services operated by London Northwestern Railway, East Midlands Railway, TransPennine Express and Northern serving , , and various destinations within Yorkshire and the West Midlands; • Hunts Cross to and ; • Ormskirk to ; • to Blackburn via Wigan Wallgate and . Wirral line The Wirral line is shown in green on the Merseyrail is the brand name used by Merseytravel on services out of the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station to 26 stations on its sponsored network, and cross-boundary destinations outside of the Liverpool City Region. Merseytravel has policies in place to improve the service frequency, new services and to invest in the City line. Despite the City Line being operated by other train operators than Merseyrail, as of 2000, it is marketed and branded as Merseytravel or Merseyrail to meet the passenger transport executive's aims to provide the network with a local identity and shared fare and ticketing structures. The line is depicted on signage and maps using the colour red and the above word mark, It is part of the Northern franchise and not the Merseyrail (Electrics) franchise. Two services are not electrified, the Manchester via Warrington Central and Chester via Runcorn. Northern mainly operate the City line with additional services operated by TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Transport for Wales, and West Midlands Trains. ==History==

The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century, with the original formation of the Mersey Railway and the Mersey Railway Tunnel, among the first underground railway tunnels. Over the years, several new stations such as in 1998 and in 2017 have been added to the network. Most recently in 2023, has opened and is served on the network by battery-electric trains. Various proposals have been suggested on how to further expand the network, including beyond the Liverpool City Region area. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that it was planning to use part of a £172million funding package to reopen St James Station in Liverpool City Centre, officially confirmed as station following a public vote in April 2022. ==Services==

Point-to-point or return tickets are purchased from staffed offices or ticket machines, but the system is tightly integrated with Merseytravel's City Region-wide pass system, which also encompasses the Mersey Ferries and city and regional bus networks. Merseytravel's smart ticketing is via the local MetroCard smartcard system, including Merseyrail travel. Typical weekday off-peak service on the Merseyrail-run Northern and Wirral lines, , is as follows: ==Fleet==

Merseyrail took over the fleet of Class 507 and 508 units from previous operator Arriva Trains Merseyside, all of which have since been withdrawn. The first Class 777 unit entered into service on the Northern line on 23 January 2023. Initially they were being used on the Kirkby route, followed by the Ormskirk route. The trains were introduced to the Wirral line, Ormskirk, Southport and Hunts Cross routes in late 2023. Merseyrail's fleet are maintained and stabled at Kirkdale TMD, which is Stadler's United Kingdom headquarters, and additionally units are stabled at Birkenhead North TMD, and Southport Carriage Holding Sidings. During Merseyrail's history, there were several other depots, such as Hall Road TMD and Birkenhead Central TMD. Current fleet Past fleet The original service on the Merseyrail lines was provided by the Class 502 on the Northern line and Class 503 on the Wirral line. The former was withdrawn by 1980 and the latter by 1985. Introduced from 1978 and 1979 respectively were 33 Class 507 and 43 Class 508 units. Since the 1990s, 15 Class 508 units have been withdrawn as surplus and have later transferred to other operators with 12 units being transferred to Connex South Eastern and three units being transferred to Silverlink. Three additional Class 507 and 508 units, including unit 507006 after a crash at Kirkby in March 2021, were written off following their accidents. In 2023, further withdrawals of the trains began, having been replaced by the new Class 777. In February 2024, the last Class 508 units were withdrawn, followed by the last Class 507 units in November. at James Street – Unlike the London Underground and Tyne and Wear Metro, Merseyrail's track maintenance is the responsibility of Network Rail. ==Franchise and concession history==

As a result of the privatisation of British Rail, the Northern and Wirral lines were brought together as the Mersey Rail Electrics passenger franchise, being sold on 19 January 1997. Although franchises are awarded and administered on a national level (initially through various independent bodies, and later the Department of Transport directly), under the original privatisation legislation of 1993, passenger transport executives (PTEs) were co-signatories of franchise agreements covering their areas – this role being later modified by the Railways Act 2005. When the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise was due for renewal, coming into force on 20 July 2003, Merseytravel contracted the operation of the two lines with a concession extending for up to 25years. The first successful bidder was Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd, a joint venture between Serco and NedRailways (renamed Abellio in 2009). The City line, which was largely diesel-operated at the time, was not included in 2003 franchise, continuing as a part of the nationally administered rail franchise system. From 11 December 2004, the NWRR franchise was merged into a new Northern franchise. The first train operating company awarded this franchise contract was Northern Rail, also owned by a Serco-NedRail (Abellio) joint venture. This franchise passed to Arriva Rail North on 1 April 2016 and then to Northern Trains on 1 March 2020. Due to the isolation of the Northern and Wirral lines, Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd are keen to adopt vertical integration – taking responsibility for maintenance of the track from Network Rail. ==Performance==

Merseyrail has publicly committed to aiming to be the best train operating company in the United Kingdom. In February 2010, Merseyrail was named the most reliable operator of trains in the United Kingdom, with a reliability average of 96.33% during 2009–2010, the highest ever achieved by any United Kingdom train operator. In 2023, Merseyrail was audited by the UK Government Office of Road & Rail; it found poor performance with 26.2% of trains being delayed by 4 or more minutes and a cancellation rate of 2.2%, an increase of 1.1% on the previous year. In the year from April 2023 to March 2024, the network carried 28.3million passengers over 511million passenger kilometres, lower than the pre-COVID-19 peak of 30.6million passengers over 556million passenger kilometres in the year 20192020. In 2025, the annual Transport Focus Rail User Survey gave Merseyrail an overall satisfaction score of 93%, with an 89% satisfaction rating for punctuality and reliability. Also in 2025, the company won a National Rail Award in the "Great Place to Work" category, with the judges commenting on the "good employee engagement" and "industry-leading flexible workplace initiatives". ==Accidents and incidents==

On 26 October 2005, a Merseyrail Class 508 train de-railed in a tunnel on the approach to Liverpool Central underground station. All 119 passengers and train crew were evacuated safely; only the guard was injured. The cause was determined to be rail gauge spread caused by poor maintenance. On 11 January 2007, a train ran through a buffer stop at . Two people were injured. On 30 June 2009, a train ran away at , running through a buffer stop and colliding with a wall. A passenger train had passed the site of the accident less than 5 seconds earlier. Merseyrail was fined £85,000 plus costs of £20,970.15 for offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. On 22 October 2011, an intoxicated teenage girl died after falling between the train and platform at James Street station. The train guard, Christopher McGee, was subsequently convicted of her manslaughter by gross negligence and was jailed for five years. On 13 March 2021, a Merseyrail Class 507 train collided with the buffer stop at station. The cause was found to be that the driver of the train was using a mobile phone whilst driving. The distraction led him to enter the station at nearly three times the permitted speed. He was sacked and prosecuted, pleading guilty in February 2022 to a charge of endangering the safety of people on the railway. ==See also==