| Merseyrail | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Merseytravel,Network Rail | ||
| Area served | Liverpool City Region and surrounding areas | ||
| Locale | |||
| Transit type | Commuter rail | ||
| Number of lines | 2 (plus main line commuter services) | ||
| Number of stations | 69 (67 managed[1][a]) | ||
| Annual ridership | 29.9 million (2024/2025)[1] | ||
| Chief executive | Neil Grabham[4] | ||
| Headquarters | Rail House, Liverpool | ||
| Website | www | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1886 as the Mersey Railway, 1977 as expanded Merseyrail | ||
| Operator(s) | Merseyrail Electrics 2002 (Serco andTransport UK Group) | ||
| Infrastructure manager | Network Rail | ||
| Character | Commuter rail,Concession | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 777 | ||
| Number of vehicles | 53 | ||
| Train length | 4 cars, 8 cars during peak times | ||
| Headway | 15 minutes (general), 5 minutes (central sections), 30 minutes (Ellesmere Port branch, general in evenings and on Sundays) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 122 km (76 miles)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 750 V DC third rail | ||
| |||
Merseyrail is acommuter rail network which serves theLiverpool City Region, and the surrounding areas, in theNorth West of England. Since 2003, the network has been run as a concession, held bySerco andTransport UK Group.
It was established in 1977, when existing railway lines were connected by constructing new tunnels underLiverpool City Centre andBirkenhead. The network has since been expanded, with new stations built, and electrification of existing lines. Today, Merseyrail serves 69stations, 67 of which it manages,[b] across two lines – theNorthern line and theWirral line. The network uses750 V DC third rail electrified lines having 76 miles (122 km) of routes, of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. The network uses theClass 777 trains based on theStadlerMETRO platform. The network carried 28.3 million passengers in 2023/2024.
The Merseyrail Network is a, primarily, self-contained network, and is operated by Merseyrail Electrics 2002, aMerseytravel concession, currently held as a 50:50 joint venture betweenSerco andTransport UK Group.[5][6] The concession was awarded to the venture by theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority and is overseen byMerseytravel, thepassenger transport executive which co-ordinates public transport across theLiverpool City Region.[7] Prior to the concession starting in July 2003, the network was ran asArriva Trains Merseyside.[8]
Merseyrail manages 67 stations on the network.[1]
The network consists of two halves, theNorthern line and theWirral line, both of which are mainly third-rail, powered by750 V DC third rail system, with a small portion fromFazakerley toHeadbolt Lane being ran withBEMUs.[9] Each service on both lines, with the exception of theEllesmere Port Branch, has service frequencies of 15 minutes, with the Ellesmere Port branch having a 30-minute frequency.[10] Trains on the Northern line and Wirral line cover the Liverpool City Region. The total route length of the two lines is 120.7 km (75.0 miles), accommodating 69 stations. The lines connect Liverpool city centre with cities and towns on the outer reaches of the city region, such asSouthport,Chester andOrmskirk.
TheCity line, marked red on the network map, is operated by several other operators, such asNorthern Trains,London Northwestern Railway,TransPennine Express, and others, with funding fromMerseytravel. The City line is made up of several branches, which are mainly electrified withOHLE, with one branch, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Warrington, being operated by diesel trains.[11][12]
The three lines interchange as follows:
The Northern line is shown in blue on the Merseyrail[13] and Merseytravel[14] maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate on three main routes: from Hunts Cross in the south of Liverpool toOrmskirk via theLink tunnel fromBrunswick station through central Liverpool, from Liverpool Central toSouthport, and from Liverpool Central to Headbolt lane via Kirkby. Each route operates a train every 15 minutes 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 atLiverpool F.C.'sAnfield, Northern line services connect with theSoccerBus service atSandhills 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 ofEverton FC'sHill Dickinson Stadium.
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at:
The Wirral line is shown in green on the Merseyrail[13] and Merseytravel[14] maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate from the four terminus stations of:Chester,Ellesmere Port,New Brighton andWest Kirby. Each service from one of these the terminus stations runs throughBirkenhead Hamilton Square underground station inBirkenhead, then through the Mersey Railway Tunnel, continuing around the single track underground loop tunnel under Liverpool's city centre. Trains head back into the Mersey Railway Tunnel to return to one of the four terminus stations.
Monday-Saturday services are every 15 minutes to/from Liverpool to Chester, New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 30 minutes to/from Ellesmere Port (Monday–Sunday). These combine to give a service at least every five minutes from Birkenhead Hamilton Square and around the loop under Liverpool's city centre.[15]
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at:
.jpg)
The City line 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, it is marketed and branded asMerseyrail to meet thepassenger transport executive's aims to provide the network with a local identity and shared fare and ticketing structures.[16][17][18] The line is depicted on signage and maps using the colour red and the above word mark.[13][14]
Unlike the Northern and Wirral lines, the City line is not operated by the Serco-Transport UK Group joint venture.[14][13]
The City line covers the Liverpool City Region sections of theCrewe–Liverpool line, the twoLiverpool–Manchester lines, and theLiverpool–Wigan line.[18][19] Two services are not electrified, the Manchester via Warrington Central and Chester via Runcorn.
Northern mainly operate the City line with additional services operated byTransPennine Express,Avanti West Coast,East Midlands Railway,Transport for Wales, andWest Midlands Trains.[14][19]
The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century, with the original formation of theMersey Railway and theMersey Railway Tunnel, among the first underground railway tunnels.[15] The modern Merseyrail network was developed in the 1970s from lines that were previously owned by several different railway companies. TheBeeching axe during the early 1960s closed key routes in and around Liverpool, with the council proposing an alternate strategy and advocating the preservation of suburban services integrated into a new regional electrified rapid-transit network. The network underwent a period of electrification and expansion, becoming a single network in 1977, with a major project being the Loop and Link line, creating a continuous underground route through Liverpool city centre.[20]
Over the years, several new stations such asConway Park in 1998 andMaghull North in 2017 have been added to the network. Most recently in 2023,Headbolt Lane has opened and is served on the network by battery-electric trains.[21] 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 £172 million funding package to reopenSt James Station in Liverpool City Centre,[22] officially confirmed asLiverpool Baltic station following a public vote in April 2022.[23]
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 theMersey Ferries and city and regional bus networks. Merseytravel's smart ticketing is via the localMetroCardsmartcard system, including Merseyrail travel.[24]
Typical weekday off-peak service on the Merseyrail-run Northern and Wirral lines, as of May 2025[update], is as follows:
| Northern line[25] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Hunts Cross toOrmskirk | 4 | |
| Liverpool Central toSouthport | 4 | |
| Liverpool Central toHeadbolt Lane | 4 |
|
| Wirral line[26] | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Liverpool Central toNew Brighton | 4 |
|
| Liverpool Central toWest Kirby | 4 |
|
| Liverpool Central toChester | 4 |
|
| Liverpool Central toEllesmere Port | 2 |
|
Merseyrail took over the fleet of Class 507 and 508 units from previous operatorArriva Trains Merseyside, all of which have since been withdrawn.[27][28] In 2020, rolling-stock manufacturerStadler Rail delivered the first of a new fleet of 53 trains, designatedClass 777, based on theirStadler METRO platform. Merseytravel has an option to purchase up to 60 additional units could be exercised if services are extended to new destinations such as Helsby, Skelmersdale or Wrexham.[29]
The first Class 777 unit entered into service on the Northern line on 23 January 2023.[30][31] Initially they were being used on the Kirkby route, followed by the Ormskirk route.[32] The trains were introduced to the Wirral line, Ormskirk, Southport and Hunts Cross routes in late 2023.[32] A small portion of the fleet areBEMUs, with these operating the services toHeadbolt Lane station in Kirkby.[33]
Merseyrail's fleet are maintained and stabled atKirkdale TMD, which is Stadler's United Kingdom headquarters,[34] and additionally units are stabled atBirkenhead North TMD, andSouthport Carriage Holding Sidings.[citation needed]
During Merseyrail's history, there were several other depots,[citation needed] such asHall Road TMD andBirkenhead Central TMD.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | In service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| 777METRO |  | EMU BEMU | 75 | 120 | 53 | 4 | 2018–2021 | 2023–present | |
 | |||||||||
The original service on the Merseyrail lines was provided by theClass 502 on the Northern line andClass 503 on the Wirral line. The former was withdrawn by 1980 and the latter by 1985.[39][40]
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,[41] 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 lastClass 507 units in November.[27][28]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Carriages | Number | Routes operated | Built | Withdrawn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| 507 |  | EMU | 75 | 120 | 3 | 33[42] |
| 1978–1980 | 2022–2024[28][43] |
 | |||||||||
| 508 | .jpg) | EMU | 75 | 120 | 3 | 27 |
| 1979–1980 | 2022-2024[27] |
| |||||||||
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
As a result of theprivatisation of British Rail, the Northern and Wirral lines were brought together as the Mersey Rail Electricspassenger 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 originalprivatisation legislation of 1993,passenger transport executives (PTEs) were co-signatories of franchise agreements covering their areas – this role being later modified by theRailways Act 2005.[44]
The firsttrain operating company awarded the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise contract wasMTL. MTL was originally the operating arm of Merseytravel but had been privatised in 1985. The brand name Merseyrail Electrics was adopted by MTL.
The Merseyrail name became the official brand for the network in the days ofBritish Rail, surviving severalfranchise holders, although the name was not used byArriva when holding the franchise. Despite this, Merseytravel continued the Merseyrail branding at stations, allowing the name to be adopted colloquially. With acquisition by Arriva, the train operating company was rebrandedArriva Trains Merseyside from 27 April 2001. Merseyrail is referred to as "Merseyrail Electrics" byNational Rail Enquiries, and as "Serco/Abellio Merseyrail" by Merseytravel.
The City line was also privatised under the 1993 Act, but as part of a different, much larger North West Regional Railways (NWRR) franchise. Upon sale on 2 March 1997, the first train operating company awarded the NWRR franchise contract wasNorth Western Trains (owned byGreat Western Holdings). The train operating company was later bought byFirstGroup and rebrandedFirst North Western.
The third-rail electric Northern and Wirral lines were largely isolated from the rest of theNational Rail network with no through passenger services to or from outside the third-rail Merseyrail network. A decision was to transfer the network into exclusive Merseytravel control, being removed from the national franchising system. The Secretary of State exempted the two lines from being designated as a national railway franchise under the 1993 Act.[45]
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 25 years. The first successful bidder was Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd, a joint venture betweenSerco and NedRailways (renamed Abellio in 2009).[44]
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 wasNorthern Rail, also owned by a Serco-NedRail (Abellio) joint venture. This franchise passed toArriva Rail North on 1 April 2016 and then toNorthern 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 fromNetwork Rail.
Merseyrail has publicly committed to aiming to be the best train operating company in the United Kingdom.[46][47]
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.[48]
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.[49]
In the year from April 2023 to March 2024, the network carried 28.3 million passengers over 511 million passenger kilometres, lower than the pre-COVID-19 peak of 30.6 million passengers over 556 million passenger kilometres in the year 2019–2020.[1]
In 2025, the annualTransport Focus Rail User Survey gave Merseyrail an overall satisfaction score of 93%, with an 89% satisfaction rating for punctuality and reliability.[50][51] 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".[52]
On 26 October 2005, a MerseyrailClass 508 train de-railed in a tunnel on the approach toLiverpool 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.[53]
On 11 January 2007, a train ran through abuffer stop atWest Kirby. Two people were injured.[54]
On 30 June 2009, a train ran away atKirkdale, 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 theHealth and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.[55]
On 22 October 2011, an intoxicated teenage girl died after falling between the train and platform atJames Street station. The train guard, Christopher McGee, was subsequently convicted of her manslaughter by gross negligence and was jailed for five years.[56]
On 13 March 2021, a MerseyrailClass 507 train collided with the buffer stop atKirkby 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.[57]
Northern, Wirral and City lines, despite the existence of different operators are marketed and branded as the Merseyrail network serving Merseyside with local identity, fares and ticketing structures reflecting the PTEs policies.
The 'City Lines', providing more frequent and longer-distance services from Liverpool Lime Street to the east.
The Stadler EMUs will initially be used on the Kirkby line, followed by the Ormskirk line and then the Northern and Wirral lines later in the year.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| Preceded by | Operator of Merseyrail franchise 2003–2028 | Incumbent |
