Liverpool Lime Street railway station

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Liverpool Lime Street
Location
Place	Liverpool
Local authority	Liverpool
Operations
Station code	LIV
Managed by	Network Rail Merseyrail (Underground station)
Platforms in use	9 + 1 underground
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Passenger Usage
2004/05 **	13.535 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Merseytravel
Zone	C/E
History
1836	Opened
1977	Underground station opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Liverpool Lime Street (source)   * 2002/03 Disclaimer  ** 2004/05 Disclaimer
UK Rail Portal

Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is the mainline railway station serving Liverpool, England. The station lies on the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line to London Euston and Glasgow Central.

Contents 1 History 2 Layout and future expansion 2.1 Mainline 2.2 Low level 3 Current operations 3.1 Mainline 3.2 Low Level 4 External links

[edit] History

In the early days of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the Liverpool terminus was located at Crown Street, in Edge Hill, officially opened in 1830. Construction of a purpose-built station began in October 1833, the land being purchased from Liverpool Council for £9000. A tunnel was constructed between Edge Hill and the new station (starting in 1832, prior to station construction), and the station was opened to the public in August of 1836, although construction was not completed until the following year. Because of the steep incline between Lime Street and Edge Hill, trains were stopped at Edge Hill, their locomotives removed, and the passenger carriages taken down by gravity, descent controlled by brakemen. The return journey was achieved by using a stationary engine to haul the carriages up with rope.

Within six years, the rapid growth of the railways meant that the original station needed to be extended, and a plan was made to erect an iron roof similar to that found at Euston station in London, ridge roofs supported by iron columns; however, Richard Turner and William Fairburn submitted a design for a single curved roof, which won the approval of the station committee. The work cost £15,000, and was completed in 1849. The station was one of the first to send mail by train. A second roof was added in the 1880s. The North Western Hotel designed by Alfred Waterhouse, was built in front of the station - this still stands, having been converted to accommodation for students of Liverpool John Moores University.

Lime Street was part of the first stage of electrification of the West Coast Main Line in 1959. In 1966, the station saw the launch of the first InterCity service.

[edit] Layout and future expansion

Liverpool Lime Street is divided into two sections: the mainline station, which serves national and local overground services, and the Merseyrail Wirral Line station, located underground at the foot of St George’s Hall.

[edit] Mainline

The mainline station is still covered by the vast iron and glass roofs dating from the 1880s. Platforms 1 to 6 are shorter than 7 to 9, the latter dealing mainly with long-distance services to London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Norwich. Access to platforms 1-6 is through a ticket inspection barrier, while platforms 7-9 are open, with tickets being inspected on the trains. Toilets, booking offices, shops, left luggage office, taxi ranks and coffee bars are amongst the facilities provided.

In line with Liverpool's role as European Capital of Culture in 2008, and the city's 800th anniversary in 2007, the station and its immediate surroundings will receive a £35 million redevelopment. The Lime Street Gateway Project will see the current retail parade and office block in front of the station demolished, and an improved frontage and public plaza built. The development will be overseen by English Partnerships.

[edit] Low level

The low level station is entirely underground, and consists of a single platform, alongside the Liverpool Loop, a single track tunnel excavated in the 1970s, and a ticket hall above. The station is connected to the Main Line station by means of a pedestrian subway and escalators, and by a lift, accessed via a long passageway which crosses beneath Lime Street itself.

As part of a programme of improvements by Merseytravel, the station has recently been fitted with automatic ticket barriers and machines.

[edit] Current operations

[edit] Mainline

Train operators running services from Lime Street include:

• Virgin Trains - London
• Central Trains and Central Trains CityLink - Manchester, Sheffield, the East Midlands, Birmingham and East Anglia.
• TransPennine Express - Manchester, Leeds, and North East England
• Northern Rail - local services to Manchester, Warrington, Preston, Blackpool, Morecambe and Wigan.

In 2003 Virgin CrossCountry withdrew its services from Liverpool at the request of the Strategic Rail Authority. This isolated Liverpool from the South Coast and South West regions of England. The last of Virgin's Voyager trains left the station in July 2003. The following summer Arriva Trains Wales withdrew its services between the station and South Wales. There have been some positive changes recently though, journey times to London have been reduced since the introduction of 125mph capable Pendolino trains, Central Trains CityLink have also introduced 4-carriage Class 350 Desiro trains between Lime Street and Birmingham, offering more seating space than previously-used two-carriage stock.

[edit] Low Level

Merseyrail is the only operator using the low level station.

• Wirral Line (Liverpool Loop) services to New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port.
• Access to the Northern Line (serving Southport, Ormskirk, Kirkby and Hunts Cross) is via foot or the Wirral Line to Liverpool Central station.

[edit] External links

• Train times and station information for Liverpool Lime Street railway station from National Rail
• Street map and aerial photo of Liverpool Lime Street railway station from Multimap.com

• Station information for Liverpool Lime Street from Network Rail
• Station information for Liverpool Lime Street (Underground) from Merseyrail

West Coast Main Line

Legend Edinburgh Waverley for ECML Haymarket Glasgow Central     for SPT Network Motherwell for SPT Network Carstairs for SPT Network Carstairs South Junction Lockerbie Carlisle for Tyne Valley Line,    Cumbrian Coast Line and    Glasgow South Western Line Penrith Oxenholme Lake District     for Windermere Line Lancaster Preston Wigan North Western Bolton Warrington Bank Quay Liverpool Lime Street Runcorn Weaver Junction Manchester Piccadilly Stockport Cheadle Hulme Junction Crewe North Junction Crewe Stoke-on-Trent Stone Junction Norton Bridge Junction Stafford Colwich Junction Lichfield Trent Valley Wolverhampton Tamworth Birmingham New Street Nuneaton Coventry Rugby for Birmingham Loop Northampton Milton Keynes Central Watford Junction London Euston

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Runcorn		Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line		Terminus
Warrington Central or Newton-le-Willows		TransPennine Express North TransPennine		Terminus
Mossley Hill		Central Trains West Coast Main Line		Terminus
Hunts Cross		Central Trains Liverpool-Norwich		Terminus
Edge Hill		Northern Rail Liverpool-Manchester Line		Terminus
Edge Hill		Northern Rail Liverpool-Wigan Line		Terminus
Moorfields		Merseyrail Wirral Line		Liverpool Central

edit Merseyrail Wirral Line Stations
New Brighton Branch:	New Brighton   Wallasey Grove Road   Wallasey Village
West Kirby Branch:	West Kirby   Hoylake   Manor Road   Meols   Moreton   Leasowe   Bidston
Northern Branch:	Birkenhead North   Birkenhead Park   Conway Park
Liverpool Loop:	Hamilton Square   James Street   Moorfields   Liverpool Lime Street   Liverpool Central
Southern Branch:	Birkenhead Central   Green Lane   Rock Ferry   Bebington   Port Sunlight   Spital Bromborough Rake   Bromborough   Eastham Rake   Hooton
Chester Branch:	Capenhurst   Bache   Chester
Ellesmere Port Branch:	Little Sutton   Overpool   Ellesmere Port

v • d • e Major UK railway stations
Managed by Network Rail: Birmingham New Street • Edinburgh Waverley • Gatwick Airport • Glasgow Central • Leeds City • Liverpool Lime Street • Manchester Piccadilly
Managed by train operator: Aberdeen • Belfast Central • Belfast GVS • Birmingham Snow Hill • Brighton • Bristol Temple Meads • Cardiff Central • Crewe  • Derby • Doncaster • Dundee • Glasgow Queen Street • Hull • Manchester Victoria • Newcastle • Nottingham • Reading • Sheffield • York
Railway stations of London: Central area | Greater London
Managed by Network Rail: Cannon Street • Charing Cross • Euston • Fenchurch Street • King's Cross • Liverpool Street • London Bridge • Paddington • Victoria • Waterloo
Managed by train operator: Blackfriars • Marylebone • Moorgate • St Pancras

Railway stations in Merseyside
Liverpool city centre:	Liverpool Lime Street - Liverpool Central - James Street - Moorfields
Birkenhead:	Birkenhead Central - Birkenhead North - Birkenhead Park - Conway Park - Hamilton Square
Aigburth - Ainsdale - Aintree - Bebington - Bank Hall - Bidston - Birkdale - Blundellsands & Crosby - Bootle New Strand - Bootle Oriel Road - Broad Green - Bromborough - Bromborough Rake - Brunswick - Cressington - Earlestown - Eastham Rake - Eccleston Park - Edge Hill - Fazakerley - Freshfield - Formby - Garswood - Green Lane - Halewood - Hall Road - Heswall - Hightown - Hillside - Hooton - Hough Green - Hoylake - Hunts Cross - Huyton - Kirkby - Kirkdale - Lea Green - Leasowe - Liverpool South Parkway - Maghull - Manor Road - Meols - Meols Cop - Moreton - Mossley Hill - New Brighton - Newton-le-Willows - Old Roan - Orrell Park - Port Sunlight - Prescot - Rainford - Rainhill - Rice Lane - Roby - Rock Ferry - St Helens Central - St Helens Junction - St Michaels - Sandhills - Seaforth & Litherland - Southport - Spital - Thatto Heath - Upton - Wallasey Grove Road - Wallasey Village - Walton - Waterloo - Wavertree Technology Park - West Allerton - West Kirby - Whiston
Transport in Merseyside - Merseytravel - Merseyrail