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Wirral line

March 03, 2023

The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,[7] England, the other being the Northern line.

Wirral line
A Class 508 EMU on a Wirral line service at Liverpool Central prior to redevelopment.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleMerseyside & Cheshire,
North West England
TerminiChester, Ellesmere Port,
New Brighton, West Kirby
Stations34
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Merseyrail[1]
Depot(s)Birkenhead North TMD
Rolling stockClass 507
Class 508
Technical
Line length33 miles 46 chains (54.0 km)[2]
Number of tracksTwo (One through loop tunnel)[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Loading gaugeW6[3]
Electrification750 V DC third rail[4]
Operating speed70 mph (110 km/h) maximum[2][3][5][6]
Route map

(Click to expand)

The Wirral line connects Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with branches to New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port.[8][9] Beneath Liverpool, the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single-track tunnel called the Loop, built in the early 1970s.[8][10]

The Wirral line has carried its present name since the opening of the Merseyrail network by Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978,[11] during the British Rail period. The Wirral line is fully electrified with a DC third rail,[8] and has existed in its current form since May 1994 with the start of electric services to Ellesmere Port.[12][13] A total of 34 stations are served, with connections available to mainline services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. The line also connects with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at Liverpool Central and Moorfields.[14]

History

The Wirral line was not originally conceived as a single route, but uses several railway lines built by individual private railway companies. Even after the Grouping Act of 1921, three of the Big Four companies were active on the Wirral Peninsula until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, when all four were absorbed into British Railways.[15][16] During the 1970s, under British Rail, the Merseyrail network was developed.[17] privatisation during the 1990s has resulted in services once again being run by private operators.

Pre-grouping

Chester and Birkenhead Railway

Main articles: Chester and Birkenhead Railway and Birkenhead Railway

Part of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway forms the oldest section of today's Wirral line. The route between the two settlements was surveyed by George Stephenson in 1830,[18] but the railway company itself was not incorporated until 12 July 1837,[19] after a previous bill had been rejected a few months earlier.[20] Between 1830 and 1837, an alternative route was surveyed by Francis Giles,[18] but Stephenson's plans were favoured. Construction work started in May 1838 and was allocated to three different contractors. By October 1839, over 900 navvies and 40 horses were employed on the southern 5 miles 37 chains (8.8 km) of the route, which included the construction of Mollington Viaduct over the Shropshire Union Canal at Moston, now Grade II listed. In 2011 this viaduct underwent strengthening work at a cost of around £800,000.[20][21][22] The total cost of the railway was around £513,000, more than double the original estimate of £250,000, and the full length of 14 miles 71+3⁄4 chains (23.97 km)[23] opened as a single-track line on 23 September 1840 between temporary termini at Grange Lane in Birkenhead and Brook Street in Chester, close to the present location of Chester railway station.[24][25] The inaugural service was operated by locomotive "The Wirral", taking 50 minutes to travel the length of the line from Birkenhead.[20] In 1842, the company purchased Monks Ferry station[24] and extended the railway north from Grange Lane to reach the new combined rail and ferry terminal, which opened on 23 October 1844.[25] On 22 July 1847, the line was merged with the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Railway into the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway, who doubled the track.[26] Chester General station opened a year later on 1 August 1848,[20][27] still extant today as the southern terminus of the Wirral line and renamed to simply "Chester" in 1969 following the closure of Chester's other station, Chester Northgate.[28] In 1859, the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway shortened its name to become the Birkenhead Railway, but was taken over in 1860 by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), who operated the line as a joint affair known as the Birkenhead Joint Railway.[26][29] Birkenhead Woodside station opened on 31 March 1878 as a new terminus to replace the facilities at Monks Ferry. To connect the new station to the railway, a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) tunnel was dug using the cut and cover method.[30]

Wirral Railway

Main article: Wirral Railway
 
The ceremony of cutting of the first sod of the Wirral Railway by William Gladstone.

On 28 July 1863, the Hoylake Railway was incorporated due to The Hoylake Railway Act being granted Royal Assent,[31][32] which authorised the construction of a railway line between Birkenhead and Hoylake.[33] A 5 miles 22 chains (8.5 km) single track line was constructed between Hoylake and Birkenhead Dock (adjacent to Wallasey Bridge Road),[34] and the railway opened to passengers on 2 July 1866.[32] The railway had ambitious plans that included the construction of a bridge across the Dee Estuary to join the LNWR North Wales Coast Line at Mostyn,[35] but due to financial difficulties the company went into receivership on 13 February 1869.[32] The railway was bought by the Hoylake and Birkenhead Tramway Company, who passed a bill for a new tramway from the Bridge Road station to Woodside Ferry Terminal on 18 July 1872.[36] The Hoylake Railway reopened on 1 August 1872, and in 1878 was extended to West Kirby to the west and an interchange with the tramway and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board railway system to the east where Birkenhead Dock station had been built.[32][34] The tramway was sold to the Birkenhead Tramways Company on 11 October 1879[34] which was already operating other tramways in Birkenhead.[37] On 18 July 1881, the railway became the Seacombe, Hoylake & Deeside Railway Company and acts were passed for lines to Seacombe, Deeside and Warren Drive, later extended to New Brighton.[34] Before these extensions were complete, the railway became the Wirral Railway Company and a decision was made to double the track as far as the western terminus at West Kirby.[32]

Whilst the new lines to Seacombe and New Brighton were being surveyed and built, a new joint company, later to become the North Wales and Liverpool Railway Company (NW&LR), took over the construction of the Deeside line due to a lack of Wirral Railway funds.[38] The planned NW&LR route would pass through the heart of the Wirral Peninsula from Bidston on the Wirral Railway to Hawarden Bridge in Flintshire, Wales where it would meet the Chester and Connah's Quay Railway and the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway (WM&CQR).[32] The North Wales and Liverpool Railway opened for passengers on 18 May 1896, but powers to extend the service from Bidston to the more appealing destination of Seacombe were not granted until 1898.[34] The NW&LR and WM&CQR were both acquired by the Great Central Railway (GCR) on 1 January 1905,[39][40][41] and due to a high level of goods traffic the GCR opened a new connection to the docks in 1907 as part of what forms the now-disused Birkenhead Dock Branch.[32][42] Today the railway from Bidston to Hawarden Bridge forms the northern part of the Borderlands line which is the only railway line on the Wirral that does not form a part of the present-day Wirral line.

Mersey Railway

Main article: Mersey Railway
 
Original Mersey Railway painted signage on Birkenhead Central station where the company had its head office.[43]
 
An illustration from The Graphic showing the meeting of the two railway tunnel headings beneath the River Mersey in January 1884.
 
An Illustrated London News illustration of the official opening of the Mersey Railway by the Prince of Wales on 20 January 1886.
 
A Mersey Railway electric multiple unit (EMU) having just departed from Birkenhead Park for Liverpool.

The first proposal to connect Birkenhead and Liverpool by a rail tunnel was made in 1864 by the Liverpool and Birkenhead Railway Company. The bill received the support of the chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board and of John Laird, the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead at the time, although ultimately it was unsuccessful due to strong opposition from the LNWR.[44] A second tunnel proposal was made in 1865 by Sir Charles Fox, who planned to build a single track pneumatic railway under the Mersey between the two settlements. The Mersey Railway Act was passed in 1866, although the project was hindered with knowledge of engineering difficulties and limitations with pneumatic railways in other parts of the country.[45][46] On 22 December 1869, Fox held a meeting with Liverpool businessmen and merchants where it was decided that the pneumatic single track railway would be substituted with a conventional steam double track line. Powers for the Mersey Railway Company to build a steam railway were granted in 1871 as well as those to extend the original planned route to connect with the joint Great Western and London and North Western railway at Rock Ferry.[47]

A contract was made with John Dickson to raise the necessary funding and then construct the railway, but he soon became bankrupt.[47][48] Work on constructing the tunnel did not commence until December 1879 when a preliminary contract was entered with Major Samuel Isaac, a London businessman, to dig a pilot tunnel for determining the nature of the strata beneath the Mersey.[47] Isaac subcontracted the construction work to John Waddell & Sons of Edinburgh who appointed James Brunlees and Charles Douglas Fox, eldest son of Sir Charles Fox, as engineers in chief.[49][48] Two shafts were dug in the grounds of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board for the pilot tunnel - one in Birkenhead with a diameter of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m) and the other in Liverpool of diameter 15 feet (4.6 m).[49] It was determined that there was an almost uninterrupted stratum of red sandstone beneath the river[50] and as a result construction began in August 1881,[51] before the pilot bore had been completed.[49]

A total of three tunnels were constructed – the main railway tunnel, a ventilation tunnel and a drainage tunnel. The railway tunnel was horseshoe shaped[51] and bored to a width of 26 feet (7.9 m) and height of 19 feet (5.8 m) for two standard gauge tracks.[52] With six layers of brickwork through sandstone and eight courses through clay,[51] a total of around 38 million bricks were required.[52] The drainage tunnel sloped down from the centre to pumping shafts on each side of the river each 52 metres (171 ft) deep, lined with cast iron through water-bearing strata, and with a capacity of 364 cubic metres (364,000 L) of water.[51] Whilst water was encountered during the construction work, it was not a serious problem and the ground under the riverbanks was found to be wetter than that under the river itself.[48][52] The ventilation tunnel is 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m) in diameter and was bored 20 feet (6.1 m) parallel to the main tunnel.[50] In 1883, the rate of work was greatly improved with the deployment of a Beaumont Cutter which was a compressed air boring machine invented by Colonel Frederick Beaumont of the Royal Engineers.[48][51]

Liverpool Pumping Station was built adjacent to George's Dock and contained a pair of pumps connected to a steam engine. On the opposite bank of the river Shore Road Pumping Station was constructed in Birkenhead. The pumping plants were designed with the capacity to deal with up to four-times the amount of water that entered the drainage tunnel and subsequently the pumping shafts.[53] Steam-driven ventilating fans were installed at James Street, Shore Road and midway between Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Central. The fans combined could draw out of the tunnel 600 cubic yards (460 m3) of air per minute which meant a complete change of air in the tunnel every seven minutes.[54][50]

At the start of 1884 construction work was pushed ahead with 1,400 men and 177 horses underground.[53] On 17 January of the same year, two tunnel headings met 1,115 yards (1,020 m) from the Birkenhead shaft. A ceremony marked this occasion with Henry Cecil Raikes PC, Major Isaac, Colonel Beaumont, James Brunlees, Charles Douglas Fox, Robert Paterson (Mayor of Birkenhead) and David Radcliffe (Mayor of Liverpool) present.[48][55] The tunneling work was complete by the end of 1885 and thousands of members of the public took the opportunity to walk through the gaslit tunnel ahead of its official opening.[56]

King Edward VII, then Prince of Wales performed the opening ceremony on 20 January 1886, accompanied by Prince Albert Victor and Prince George, later to become King George V. All three had spent the previous night at Eaton Hall and travelled on the Royal Train between Chester and Rock Ferry where the locomotive was swapped for a Mersey Railway 0-6-4 tank engine and a temporary connection to the Mersey Railway traversed ahead of the journey through the tunnel to Liverpool.[56] At 1 pm in the afternoon the Prince inaugurated the railway in James Street before attending a meal at Liverpool Town Hall.[57] The first Mersey Railway passenger service ran ten days later on 1 February 1886.[57] Around 36,000 passengers travelled on the railway on the first day of service and 2.5 million passengers were carried during the first six months.[58]

Upon opening, the railway ran from James Street in Liverpool to Green Lane in Birkenhead via intermediate stations at Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Central. A branch from Hamilton Square to Birkenhead Park opened on 2 January 1888, where it connected with the Seacombe, Hoylake & Deeside Railway, later to become the Wirral Railway. Once this extension was complete, passengers were able to travel from Hoylake to Liverpool without changing trains as only the locomotives were changed for the Mersey Railway tunnelled section.[59] On 16 June 1891, an extension was opened from Green Lane to Rock Ferry for connections with the Birkenhead Joint Railway.[59] A further extension opened in Liverpool on 11 January 1892, from James Street to Liverpool Central[59] increasing the total length of the railway to 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi).[51] This extension was tunnelled using the cut and cover method due to a ban on the use of explosives in Liverpool city centre.[51][58]

Despite the four ventilation fans, passenger numbers on the railway declined due to the steam engines filling the air with smoke and soot. Coupled with the high cost of running the fans and drainage pumps, the railway found itself bankrupt by 1900.[51][60] Not long afterwards, George Westinghouse, an engineer and inventor, offered to fund and carry out electrification work on the line.[61] By the end of April 1903, and at a cost of £300,000, the electrification work was complete,[62] making the railway Britain's first steam-operated line to be converted to electric traction.[60][61] A generating station adjacent to the pumping station on Shore Road was built and installed with three Westinghouse generators which provided 650 V DC to the fourth rail system.[63] The last steam train departed Liverpool Central on 3 May 1903 at 12.26 am and electric operation commenced that afternoon after a long morning of driver training.[64][65] Passenger numbers rose again after electrification and the Mersey Railway carried over nine million passengers the following year.[60]

To operate electric services, 24 motor and 33 trailer carriages were constructed of Baldwin-Westinghouse design.[66] They were 60 feet (18 m) long, of an American styling, and were manufactured at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[67] Four additional trailer vehicles of the same design were built during 1908 by G. C. Milnes Voss & Company in Birkenhead.[67][68] The electric Mersey Railway trains all used a multiple unit control system developed by Westinghouse which enabled trains with motor carriages at both ends to be driven from a single cab. From 1904, driving controls were also fitted to selected trailer vehicles which enabled trains to be divided into shorter units during quieter times, yet still be drivable from both ends.[68] Additional vehicles were added to the fleet in 1925 and 1925, constructed by Cravens of Sheffield, and in 1936, built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.[69]

The Big Four

 
A Railway Clearing House map of the railways in Birkenhead and Bidston prior to the 1923 grouping.

The Railways Act 1921 took effect on 1 January 1923, when most railway companies in Britain were grouped into one of the Big Four. The Wirral Railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) company, while the GCR, which it met at Bidston, was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).[32] The Birkenhead Joint Railway and the Mersey Railway were both unaffected by the grouping of 1923 and remained in existence until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

The Wirral Railway had considered electrification since 1900, but plans were not taken any further until 1935, when increasing traffic prompted the LMS to revive the scheme.[70] Authorisation was granted for the West Kirby and New Brighton lines, and work was completed by February 1938.[32] The LMS had adopted a 650 V DC third rail system which differed from the fourth-rail system of the Mersey Railway.[34] To allow through services to run to Liverpool, all trains had to be able to operate with both systems, and automatic changeover devices were installed between each set of rails at Birkenhead Park.[71] The LMS ordered 19 three-car units to operate their new electric services, which were later to become the Class 503 under the TOPS numbering system.[72] The vehicles were built in Birmingham by Metropolitan Cammell and the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company,[72] and were maintained at Birkenhead Central TMD.[73] Station improvement and modernisation work also accompanied the electrification work at West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols, Moreton, Leasowe and New Brighton.[34]

With Mersey Railway trains able to use the LMS electrification system and vice versa, on 13 March 1938 the Mersey Railway was given operation of the line from Birkenhead Park to New Brighton in exchange for LMS running powers between Birkenhead Park and Liverpool Central, thus removing the need for passengers to change at Birkenhead Park for travel to Liverpool.[70] The first direct services from West Kirby and New Brighton to Liverpool Central ran on 14 March 1938, the LMS operating the West Kirby services and the Mersey Railway running the New Brighton services.[34] To keep LMS and Mersey Railway workers familiar with each other's routes, on Sundays the LMS worked the Rock Ferry services, and the Mersey Railway trains ran to West Kirby. The Mersey Railway also ran additional services to West Kirby on bank holidays to cater for day-trippers.[74]

During the Second World War, the Liverpool Blitz of 1940–1941 caused severe damage to the Mersey Railway. While overground services were disrupted on several occasions, underground services always continued, despite damage to station buildings.[73] The explosion of a parachute mine just west of Birkenhead Park station demolished the carriage shed that was located there; damaged vehicles were sent to Wolverton works and extensively rebuilt.[73] The importance of a rail connection between Liverpool and Birkenhead during the war was such that four redundant six-car trains from the Hammersmith & City line of the former Metropolitan Railway were reconditioned by the London Passenger Transport Board and transferred to temporary LMS ownership; however, these trains never saw passenger service on the Wirral, despite being stored at Birkenhead North and Hoylake.[75]

British Railways

Nationalisation of the railways took place on 1 January 1948, under the Transport Act 1947.[15] All lines on the Wirral, including the Mersey Railway, were absorbed into the London Midland Region of British Railways. At first, services continued as before, with trains from New Brighton and West Kirby to Liverpool Central, and services on the former Birkenhead Joint Railway from Birkenhead Woodside to destinations such as London Paddington, Chester General, North Wales, West Kirby (via Hooton), Wolverhampton Low Level, Birmingham Snow Hill and Shrewsbury General.[30]

In 1955, the original Mersey Railway fourth-rail system was replaced with the third rail system adopted by LMS from Birkenhead Park to New Brighton and West Kirby, removing the need for automatic changeover switches.[71][76] Despite the design already being 19 years old at the time, a new batch of 28 third-rail-only Class 503 units was delivered the following year. Of these, 24 were ordered as replacements for the original Mersey Railway trains, and the remaining four to replace stock damaged during the Second World War.[72] As each new train was placed in service, a Mersey Railway train was withdrawn and hauled by steam locomotive to Horwich Works for breaking up.[77]

In March 1963, Dr Beeching published his first report on the future of the railways, recommending the closure of one third of the country's railway stations, including Birkenhead Woodside.[78] His second report, in February 1965, proposed 'trunk routes' between major cities, including the West Coast route between London and Liverpool/Manchester, which was then being electrified.[79] Once Birkenhead to Birmingham and London services were replaced with electric trains from Liverpool Lime Street, only local diesel services to Chester and Helsby remained using Birkenhead Woodside, which closed to passengers on 5 November 1967. Local services were terminated at Rock Ferry where a change to Liverpool city centre was available.[30]

The development of Merseyrail

 
Three Class 503 units at Rock Ferry in 1973. Trains to Liverpool terminated at James Street during this period while construction of the Loop Tunnel took place.[80]
 
Detail of the connections between the Loop Tunnel and the original Mersey Railway tunnel at James Street.
 
A Class 503 unit in the completed Loop Tunnel. Note the end door at the front of the train, added to the units from 1972 as a new Department of Transport requirement for rail stock used in tunnelled sections.[72]

The programme of route closures in the early 1960s, known as the Beeching Axe, included the closure of two of Liverpool's mainline terminal stations, Liverpool Exchange and Liverpool Central high-level in Liverpool, and also Birkenhead Woodside terminal Station.

Riverside terminal station at the Pier Head was the fourth terminal station to close. This was not a part of the Beeching cuts: the demise of the trans-Atlantic liner trade forced its closure in 1971.

The Beeching Report recommended that the suburban and outer-suburban commuter rail services into both Exchange and Central High-level stations be terminated and that long and medium-distance routes be concentrated on Lime Street station. Liverpool City Council took a different view, and proposed the retention of the suburban services and their integration into a regional rapid-transit network. This approach was backed up by the Merseyside Area Land Use and Transportation Study, the MALTS report. Liverpool City Council's proposal was adopted and Merseyrail was born.[81]

The Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority, later named Merseytravel, was formed in 1969 with representatives from all Merseyside local authorities taking responsibility for the local rail network, henceforth known as 'Merseyrail'. At that time, the lines out of Liverpool Exchange, Liverpool Central Low Level and Liverpool Lime Street stations were completely separate and were given the names of 'Northern line', 'Wirral line' and 'City Line' respectively.

The new Wirral line was to have a loop tunnel under Liverpool's city centre which would be an extension of the Mersey Railway tunnel. This arrangement meant trains would only terminate in the Wirral. Trains would leave Wirral terminus stations, run into Liverpool's city centre and loop back out. Four underground stations would be on this loop under Liverpool's city centre. A further underground Link Tunnel connection between a new Moorfields through underground station and Liverpool Central underground creating a Liverpool north-south crossrail was planned. Moorfields would replace Liverpool Exchange terminus station.

The Mersey Railway Extensions Act was passed in 1968 to authorise the first stage of these improvements. The Transport Act 1968 established the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority to control policy on public transport in the conurbation, and the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive to manage ferry services and to make agreements with the National Bus Company and British Railways Board.[82]

The one track Loop Tunnel was designed to allow trains to run in a clockwise direction beneath Liverpool's city centre. It diverged from the Mersey Railway tunnel beneath Mann Island extending the short Huskisson Dock branch tunnel. This short tunnel was designed to extend to Huskinson Dock for freight purposes, however the works never materialized. A new platform was built at James Street. From James Street the tunnel continued to new deep-level platforms at Moorfields, Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central before rejoining the existing Mersey Railway tunnel beneath the Queen Victoria monument to allow trains to continue serving one of the existing platforms at James Street. The existing 1886 tunnel from James Street to Liverpool central was relegated to shunting purposes.

The Loop is a single-track tunnel, 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, 4.7 metres (15 ft) in diameter, and was driven during 1972 and 1973 through mainly sandstone rock. The depth of the tunnel varies between 17.6 metres (58 ft) and 37.8 metres (124 ft) lined with concrete. To bore the tunnel, three new DOSCO electro-hydraulic excavating machines were used, giving a maximum work rate of 57 metres (187 ft) per week.[10]

In addition to the construction of the Loop Tunnel, a burrowing junction was constructed at Hamilton Square, taking the line towards Birkenhead Park beneath the Rock Ferry lines. This would allow peak-time frequencies to be increased by removing interfering train paths at the flat crossing.[83][84] A new platform was built at Hamilton Square for this diversion, and the new tunnel is 620.6 metres (2,036 ft) in length.[10]

In 1974, Merseyside was created, with Merseyside County Council taking over the responsibilities of the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority.[82] The Northern line, including the new Link Tunnel between Moorfields and the original Mersey Railway platforms at Liverpool Central, was opened to passengers on 2 May 1977 and the Loop Tunnel opened a week later with Wirral line trains serving Rock Ferry, New Brighton and West Kirby. The first phase of the Merseyrail development was formally opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978, when she visited Liverpool Central station and rode to Kirkby on the Northern line.[80]

To operate the new Merseyrail services, procurement of new stock began for the Wirral line. Following extensive testing of PEP stock, 43 Class 508 units were ordered and constructed at BREL York during 1979–1980.[85] Due to a stock shortage in the Southern Region, the new four-car trains were first introduced to operate inner-suburban services from London Waterloo.[86] This allowed the few remaining 4-SUB trains to be withdrawn so that their electrical equipment could be reclaimed for the new Class 455 units. In 1981, the first two Class 508 units were sent north to Birkenhead, and three more were transferred in February 1983 as Class 455s began to enter service.[85][86] The new Class 455/7 units were originally specified as having four vehicles, but they were delivered with only three vehicles as it was decided that one trailer would be removed from each Class 508 unit before being sent north to Birkenhead.[87] The remaining Class 508 units were reduced to three carriages and delivered to Birkenhead by December 1984, allowing the Class 503 units to be withdrawn.[85]

In the early 1980s, plans were made to extend the Wirral line from Rock Ferry to Hooton along the former Birkenhead Joint Railway route. Third rail electrification work was carried out during 1985, and Hooton to Liverpool services started on 30 September that year, at a 15-minute frequency.[88] Bromborough Rake station opened along the line to coincide with the introduction of electric services, and diesel multiple units provided onwards connections at Hooton to Helsby and Chester.[12] Further electrification work to Chester and Ellesmere Port was planned to start in 1990.[89] Electric services through to Liverpool from Chester commenced on 3 September 1993 and from Ellesmere Port on 29 May 1994.[12]

Post-privatisation

The privatisation of British Rail began in 1994 under the Railways Act 1993 and allowed separate parts of the railway to be transferred to the private sector. The Merseyrail network continued to operate as part of the Regional Railways sector of British Rail until 11 December 1996 when MTL was announced as the preferred bidder for the Merseyrail franchise.[90] MTL ran the Merseyrail franchise as Merseyrail Electrics until 2000, when MTL was sold to Arriva by its shareholders and later rebranded as Arriva Trains Merseyside.[91] The franchise was then run as Arriva Trains Merseyside.[17]


In 2003, Merseytravel took over responsibility for the Merseyrail franchise from the Strategic Rail Authority.[17] In conjunction with this, on 20 July 2003, the franchise was awarded to Serco-NedRailways (now Serco-Abellio), a 50-50 joint business venture between Serco and Abellio, a subsidiary of Dutch national train operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen.[92][93][94] Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd was established by Serco-Abellio and the franchise is run under the "Merseyrail" brand with a 25-year contract ending in July 2028 and a review taking place every five years in line with the Merseyside Local Transport Plan.[95]

Infrastructure

 
Merseyrail network map

Track

All railway lines are built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge. The majority of the track has a loading gauge of W6 and the line has a Route Availability (RA) of RA 8 except for the New Brighton branch which is RA 6.[96] This makes the whole line fairly restrictive and not very attractive for freight traffic.[3] In 2017, the track laid in the late 1970s which runs under the Mersey was replaced by Network Rail over a six-month period.[97]

Electrification

The whole network is electrified using the 750 V DC third rail system.[3] The Mersey Railway was electrified in 1903, making it the first railway in the world to be converted entirely to electrification.[98] The former Wirral Railway, by then part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), was electrified in 1938.[13] The opening of the Loop in 1977 led to three electrified terminals on the Wirral: New Brighton, West Kirby and Rock Ferry. Electrification south from Rock Ferry to Hooton followed in 1985, with extensions to Chester and Ellesmere Port in 1993 and 1994 respectively.[13][99]

Rolling stock

In 1938, following the electrification of the former Wirral Railway, the LMS introduced new trains with air-operated sliding doors. These electric multiple units were eventually designated as Class 503. Further Class 503 units were built in 1956 to replace the former Mersey Railway carriages. The entire Class 503 stock was replaced in 1983, with Class 508 units originally built in the late 1970s for services from London Waterloo.[100] A few years earlier (1978–1980), almost identical Class 507 units had been introduced on the Northern line to replace Class 502 stock. Following the privatisation of British Rail in 1993,[citation needed] Class 507 and 508 units have been used interchangeably on both the Wirral and Northern lines and in 2003–2004 the 59-strong Class 507/508 fleet was refurbished by Alstom's Eastleigh Works at a cost of £32 million.[13][101][102][103]

Maintenance of the Class 507 and 508 fleet is carried out at Birkenhead North TMD and Kirkdale TMD. Birkenhead North TMD, just west of Birkenhead North station, focuses on major overhauls of the electric fleet, whereas Kirkdale TMD, situated south of Kirkdale station on the Northern line, is used for undertaking minor repairs and cleaning activities. Train cleaning operations took place at the now-defunct Birkenhead Central TMD beside Birkenhead Central station until the late 1990s.[9]

It was expected by Merseyrail that the 507s and 508s would be withdrawn around 2014 and replaced by a new EMU, but this has been postponed following the latest refurbishment. In May 2012, Merseytravel announced that it had formally begun a project for replacement of the 507s and 508s.[104] In December 2016, Merseytravel announced that Stadler had won the £460 million contract and that the new trains would be delivered from summer 2019, with all the old trains replaced by 2021.[105]

In May 2014, the lease on the Class 507s and 508s was extended to 2018. As part of the agreement with Angel Trains, the fleet will receive a refresh package including external re-livery, internal enhancements and engineering work.[106]

Services

During Monday to Saturday, trains run every 15 minutes from Liverpool to each of New Brighton, West Kirby and Chester, and every 30 minutes to Ellesmere Port. During peak times outside of the leaf-fall season in autumn, additional services run to (evening peak), respectively from (morning peak) Ellesmere Port, giving a 15 minutes frequency there in the peak direction only. Hooton is the point of interchange between trains to Ellesmere Port and trains to Chester, and is served by six trains per hour from Liverpool, four of which continue to Chester (only two call at Capenhurst) and two calling at stations to Ellesmere Port. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these frequencies reduced as of March 2020.[107] By mid-2022, frequencies have been increased back towards their original levels.[108]

Interchange with the Northern line is available at Liverpool Central and Moorfields, and with the City Line at Liverpool Lime Street. Transport for Wales operate services from Bidston along the Borderlands Line to Wrexham Central.[107] Various proposals over the years have suggested the electrification of part or all of this route and incorporating it into the Wirral line, as well as also electrifying beyond Ellesmere Port through to Helsby.[3][109]

Connections are available with other National Rail services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. There is also a connecting service from Ellesmere Port to Helsby and Warrington Bank Quay.[110]

Incidents

 
Class 507 unit 507009 which derailed as it approached Birkenhead North station on 19 May 2004.

A number of incidents have occurred on the Wirral line.

Unit 508118, while in storage in the siding at Birkenhead North, was subject to an arson attack in 2001. The unit was scrapped.[111]

On 19 May 2004, Unit 507009 derailed at points as it approached Birkenhead North station.[112] The leading bogie of four wheels came off the track, but the train remained upright. None of the 20 or so passengers on the train were injured.[113][114] The cause was a worn switch rail and an imbalance in wheel loads across the leading carriage of the train.[115]

At 17:41 on 26 October 2005, the rear bogie of unit 508124 derailed in the Loop tunnel between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central.[116][117] Due to concerns by Network Rail as to the condition of the track, there had long been a temporary speed restriction of 20 mph (32 km/h) in the tunnel, although at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at only 12 mph (19 km/h). None of the 119 passengers were injured; the guard attended hospital overnight with a neck injury, but was not detained.[113] In August 2006, a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) cited poor track maintenance, inadequacy of the rail fastening system, and the track infrastructure and trains not being designed as a complete system, as causes of the derailment.[115][118] Liverpool-bound services terminated at James Street instead of going around the Loop while investigation and track renewal work took place.[119][120][121]

On 19 April 2006, a small fire in the Mersey Railway Tunnel caused electrics to short circuit. The 06:30 service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool Central was in the tunnel at the time of the incident. All 120 passengers were escorted 400 yards (370 m) through the tunnel to Hamilton Square.[122][123]

At 11:57 on 11 January 2007, unit 507019 hit the buffers at West Kirby as it was arriving from Liverpool Central. There were no injuries to the 20–30 passengers, but the driver and guard were treated for shock and minor rib injuries respectively.[124] The train was travelling at around 5 mph (8.0 km/h) at the time of impact when it demolished the buffers and caused other minor damage.[125][126][127][128][129] The unit was towed to Crewe Works and repaired.[130]

On 30 October 2007, a fire broke out on a Liverpool Central to Chester service. The train was evacuated at Bromborough Rake. The fire was caused by an electrical fault, and the carriage involved was damaged.[131]

The West Kirby branch of the line has several level crossings, and accidents at these, involving pedestrian fatalities, have taken place in July 2007,[132][133] January 2008,[134][135] and November 2009.[136][137][138][139][140]

See also

References

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Bibliography

  • Baughan, Peter E. (1980). Regional history of the railways of Great Britain: North and Mid Wales. Vol. 11 (illustrated ed.). Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 9780715378502.
  • Beeching, Richard (February 1965). The development of the major railway trunk routes. London: British Railways Board. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  • Beeching, Richard (27 March 1963). The Reshaping of British Railways - Part 1: Report. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  • Bradshaw's Railway Manual, Shareholders' Guide and Directory for 1889. London: W.J. Adams. 1889. OCLC 173728390.
  • Casserley, Henry (1968). Britain's Joint Lines. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 9780711000247.
  • Duffy, Michael Ciaran (2003). Electric railways 1880 - 1990. London: The Institution of Electrical Engineers. ISBN 9780852968055.
  • Gahan, John W. (1983). The Line Beneath The Liners: A hundred years of Mersey Railway sights and sounds. Birkenhead: Countyvise. ISBN 9780907768401.
  • Holt, Geoffrey Ogden (27 July 1978). A regional history of the railways of Great Britain: The North West. Vol. 10. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 9780715375211.
  • Locomotive Railway Carriage & Wagon Review. Vol. 31. Locomotive Pub. Co. 1925.
  • The Railway News and Joint-Stock Journal. London: The Office of the "Railway News". December 1864. OCLC 145379756.
  • Rickards, George (1863). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1865]. His Majesty's statute and law printers. OCLC 4814919.
  • Simmons, Jack; Biddle, Gordon (1997). The Oxford Companion to British Railway History From 1603 to the 1990s. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192116970.
  • The Story of Merseyrail. Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and British Rail. December 1978. OCLC 8740619.
  • van de Velde, Didier (1999). Changing Trains: Railway Reform and the Role of Competition - The Experience of Six Countries. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 9781840148787.
  • Whishaw, Francis (1838). Analysis of railways: consisting of a series of reports on the railways projected in England and Wales, in the year M.DCCC.XXXVII (2nd ed.). London: John Weale. OCLC 642411114.

Further reading

  • "Merseyrail loop tunnels to be finally pumped dry". RAIL. No. 323. EMAP Apex Publications. 28 January – 10 February 1998. p. 15. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.

External links

  •   Media related to Wirral Line at Wikimedia Commons

March 03, 2023
wirral, line, commuter, rail, routes, operated, merseyrail, centred, merseyside, england, other, being, northern, line, class, service, liverpool, central, prior, redevelopment, overviewstatusoperationalownernetwork, raillocalemerseyside, cheshire, north, west. The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside 7 England the other being the Northern line Wirral lineA Class 508 EMU on a Wirral line service at Liverpool Central prior to redevelopment OverviewStatusOperationalOwnerNetwork RailLocaleMerseyside amp Cheshire North West EnglandTerminiChester Ellesmere Port New Brighton West KirbyStations34ServiceTypeCommuter railSystemNational RailOperator s Merseyrail 1 Depot s Birkenhead North TMDRolling stockClass 507Class 508TechnicalLine length33 miles 46 chains 54 0 km 2 Number of tracksTwo One through loop tunnel 2 Track gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeLoading gaugeW6 3 Electrification750 V DC third rail 4 Operating speed70 mph 110 km h maximum 2 3 5 6 Route map Click to expand vteWirral lineLegendBirkenhead Railwayto HootonWest KirbyStation RoadHoylakeManor RoadMeolsCarr LaneMoreton New BrightonLeasowe WarrenReeds Lane Wallasey Grove RoadM53 Wallasey VillageBorderlands lineto Wrexham Central M53Bidston Seacombe amp EgremontLiscard and PoultonBirkenhead North TMD Birkenhead Dock BranchBirkenhead North Birkenhead WoodsideBirkenhead Park Monks FerryBirkenhead TownConway Park Birkenhead MollingtonStreet TMDBirkenheadHamilton Square Mersey Railway Tunnelunder River MerseyBirkenhead Central James StreetLiverpool Central MoorfieldsNorthern lineto Hunts Cross Northern lineto Southport Ormskirk KirkbyLiverpool Lime Streetclockwise only through loopGreen LaneTranmereRock FerryRock LaneBebingtonPort SunlightSpitalBromborough RakeBromboroughEastham RakeM53HootonMerseytravel limitBirkenhead Railwayto West Kirby Little SuttonLedsham OverpoolCapenhurst Eastham Oil TerminalM56 Manisty WharfMollington Ellesmere PortShropshire Union Canal Hooton Helsby lineto HelsbyUpton by ChesterBache Chester Warrington lineto Warrington Bank QuayMid Cheshire lineto Stockport ManchesterChester amp Connah sQuay Railway Mickle Traffordto Shotton to Holyhead amp Wrexham General ChesterChester Northgate North Wales Coast Lineto CreweThe Wirral line connects Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula via the Mersey Railway Tunnel with branches to New Brighton West Kirby Chester and Ellesmere Port 8 9 Beneath Liverpool the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single track tunnel called the Loop built in the early 1970s 8 10 The Wirral line has carried its present name since the opening of the Merseyrail network by Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978 11 during the British Rail period The Wirral line is fully electrified with a DC third rail 8 and has existed in its current form since May 1994 with the start of electric services to Ellesmere Port 12 13 A total of 34 stations are served with connections available to mainline services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester The line also connects with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at Liverpool Central and Moorfields 14 Contents 1 History 1 1 Pre grouping 1 1 1 Chester and Birkenhead Railway 1 1 2 Wirral Railway 1 1 3 Mersey Railway 1 2 The Big Four 1 3 British Railways 1 3 1 The development of Merseyrail 1 4 Post privatisation 2 Infrastructure 2 1 Track 2 2 Electrification 2 3 Rolling stock 3 Services 4 Incidents 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External linksHistory EditThe Wirral line was not originally conceived as a single route but uses several railway lines built by individual private railway companies Even after the Grouping Act of 1921 three of the Big Four companies were active on the Wirral Peninsula until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 when all four were absorbed into British Railways 15 16 During the 1970s under British Rail the Merseyrail network was developed 17 privatisation during the 1990s has resulted in services once again being run by private operators Pre grouping Edit Chester and Birkenhead Railway Edit Main articles Chester and Birkenhead Railway and Birkenhead Railway Part of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway forms the oldest section of today s Wirral line The route between the two settlements was surveyed by George Stephenson in 1830 18 but the railway company itself was not incorporated until 12 July 1837 19 after a previous bill had been rejected a few months earlier 20 Between 1830 and 1837 an alternative route was surveyed by Francis Giles 18 but Stephenson s plans were favoured Construction work started in May 1838 and was allocated to three different contractors By October 1839 over 900 navvies and 40 horses were employed on the southern 5 miles 37 chains 8 8 km of the route which included the construction of Mollington Viaduct over the Shropshire Union Canal at Moston now Grade II listed In 2011 this viaduct underwent strengthening work at a cost of around 800 000 20 21 22 The total cost of the railway was around 513 000 more than double the original estimate of 250 000 and the full length of 14 miles 71 3 4 chains 23 97 km 23 opened as a single track line on 23 September 1840 between temporary termini at Grange Lane in Birkenhead and Brook Street in Chester close to the present location of Chester railway station 24 25 The inaugural service was operated by locomotive The Wirral taking 50 minutes to travel the length of the line from Birkenhead 20 In 1842 the company purchased Monks Ferry station 24 and extended the railway north from Grange Lane to reach the new combined rail and ferry terminal which opened on 23 October 1844 25 On 22 July 1847 the line was merged with the Birkenhead Lancashire and Cheshire Railway into the Birkenhead Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway who doubled the track 26 Chester General station opened a year later on 1 August 1848 20 27 still extant today as the southern terminus of the Wirral line and renamed to simply Chester in 1969 following the closure of Chester s other station Chester Northgate 28 In 1859 the Birkenhead Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway shortened its name to become the Birkenhead Railway but was taken over in 1860 by the Great Western Railway GWR and the London and North Western Railway LNWR who operated the line as a joint affair known as the Birkenhead Joint Railway 26 29 Birkenhead Woodside station opened on 31 March 1878 as a new terminus to replace the facilities at Monks Ferry To connect the new station to the railway a 0 5 miles 0 80 km tunnel was dug using the cut and cover method 30 Wirral Railway Edit Main article Wirral Railway The ceremony of cutting of the first sod of the Wirral Railway by William Gladstone On 28 July 1863 the Hoylake Railway was incorporated due to The Hoylake Railway Act being granted Royal Assent 31 32 which authorised the construction of a railway line between Birkenhead and Hoylake 33 A 5 miles 22 chains 8 5 km single track line was constructed between Hoylake and Birkenhead Dock adjacent to Wallasey Bridge Road 34 and the railway opened to passengers on 2 July 1866 32 The railway had ambitious plans that included the construction of a bridge across the Dee Estuary to join the LNWR North Wales Coast Line at Mostyn 35 but due to financial difficulties the company went into receivership on 13 February 1869 32 The railway was bought by the Hoylake and Birkenhead Tramway Company who passed a bill for a new tramway from the Bridge Road station to Woodside Ferry Terminal on 18 July 1872 36 The Hoylake Railway reopened on 1 August 1872 and in 1878 was extended to West Kirby to the west and an interchange with the tramway and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board railway system to the east where Birkenhead Dock station had been built 32 34 The tramway was sold to the Birkenhead Tramways Company on 11 October 1879 34 which was already operating other tramways in Birkenhead 37 On 18 July 1881 the railway became the Seacombe Hoylake amp Deeside Railway Company and acts were passed for lines to Seacombe Deeside and Warren Drive later extended to New Brighton 34 Before these extensions were complete the railway became the Wirral Railway Company and a decision was made to double the track as far as the western terminus at West Kirby 32 Whilst the new lines to Seacombe and New Brighton were being surveyed and built a new joint company later to become the North Wales and Liverpool Railway Company NW amp LR took over the construction of the Deeside line due to a lack of Wirral Railway funds 38 The planned NW amp LR route would pass through the heart of the Wirral Peninsula from Bidston on the Wirral Railway to Hawarden Bridge in Flintshire Wales where it would meet the Chester and Connah s Quay Railway and the Wrexham Mold and Connah s Quay Railway WM amp CQR 32 The North Wales and Liverpool Railway opened for passengers on 18 May 1896 but powers to extend the service from Bidston to the more appealing destination of Seacombe were not granted until 1898 34 The NW amp LR and WM amp CQR were both acquired by the Great Central Railway GCR on 1 January 1905 39 40 41 and due to a high level of goods traffic the GCR opened a new connection to the docks in 1907 as part of what forms the now disused Birkenhead Dock Branch 32 42 Today the railway from Bidston to Hawarden Bridge forms the northern part of the Borderlands line which is the only railway line on the Wirral that does not form a part of the present day Wirral line Mersey Railway Edit Main article Mersey Railway Original Mersey Railway painted signage on Birkenhead Central station where the company had its head office 43 An illustration from The Graphic showing the meeting of the two railway tunnel headings beneath the River Mersey in January 1884 An Illustrated London News illustration of the official opening of the Mersey Railway by the Prince of Wales on 20 January 1886 A Mersey Railway electric multiple unit EMU having just departed from Birkenhead Park for Liverpool The first proposal to connect Birkenhead and Liverpool by a rail tunnel was made in 1864 by the Liverpool and Birkenhead Railway Company The bill received the support of the chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board and of John Laird the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead at the time although ultimately it was unsuccessful due to strong opposition from the LNWR 44 A second tunnel proposal was made in 1865 by Sir Charles Fox who planned to build a single track pneumatic railway under the Mersey between the two settlements The Mersey Railway Act was passed in 1866 although the project was hindered with knowledge of engineering difficulties and limitations with pneumatic railways in other parts of the country 45 46 On 22 December 1869 Fox held a meeting with Liverpool businessmen and merchants where it was decided that the pneumatic single track railway would be substituted with a conventional steam double track line Powers for the Mersey Railway Company to build a steam railway were granted in 1871 as well as those to extend the original planned route to connect with the joint Great Western and London and North Western railway at Rock Ferry 47 A contract was made with John Dickson to raise the necessary funding and then construct the railway but he soon became bankrupt 47 48 Work on constructing the tunnel did not commence until December 1879 when a preliminary contract was entered with Major Samuel Isaac a London businessman to dig a pilot tunnel for determining the nature of the strata beneath the Mersey 47 Isaac subcontracted the construction work to John Waddell amp Sons of Edinburgh who appointed James Brunlees and Charles Douglas Fox eldest son of Sir Charles Fox as engineers in chief 49 48 Two shafts were dug in the grounds of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board for the pilot tunnel one in Birkenhead with a diameter of 17 feet 6 inches 5 33 m and the other in Liverpool of diameter 15 feet 4 6 m 49 It was determined that there was an almost uninterrupted stratum of red sandstone beneath the river 50 and as a result construction began in August 1881 51 before the pilot bore had been completed 49 A total of three tunnels were constructed the main railway tunnel a ventilation tunnel and a drainage tunnel The railway tunnel was horseshoe shaped 51 and bored to a width of 26 feet 7 9 m and height of 19 feet 5 8 m for two standard gauge tracks 52 With six layers of brickwork through sandstone and eight courses through clay 51 a total of around 38 million bricks were required 52 The drainage tunnel sloped down from the centre to pumping shafts on each side of the river each 52 metres 171 ft deep lined with cast iron through water bearing strata and with a capacity of 364 cubic metres 364 000 L of water 51 Whilst water was encountered during the construction work it was not a serious problem and the ground under the riverbanks was found to be wetter than that under the river itself 48 52 The ventilation tunnel is 7 feet 2 inches 2 18 m in diameter and was bored 20 feet 6 1 m parallel to the main tunnel 50 In 1883 the rate of work was greatly improved with the deployment of a Beaumont Cutter which was a compressed air boring machine invented by Colonel Frederick Beaumont of the Royal Engineers 48 51 Liverpool Pumping Station was built adjacent to George s Dock and contained a pair of pumps connected to a steam engine On the opposite bank of the river Shore Road Pumping Station was constructed in Birkenhead The pumping plants were designed with the capacity to deal with up to four times the amount of water that entered the drainage tunnel and subsequently the pumping shafts 53 Steam driven ventilating fans were installed at James Street Shore Road and midway between Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Central The fans combined could draw out of the tunnel 600 cubic yards 460 m3 of air per minute which meant a complete change of air in the tunnel every seven minutes 54 50 At the start of 1884 construction work was pushed ahead with 1 400 men and 177 horses underground 53 On 17 January of the same year two tunnel headings met 1 115 yards 1 020 m from the Birkenhead shaft A ceremony marked this occasion with Henry Cecil Raikes PC Major Isaac Colonel Beaumont James Brunlees Charles Douglas Fox Robert Paterson Mayor of Birkenhead and David Radcliffe Mayor of Liverpool present 48 55 The tunneling work was complete by the end of 1885 and thousands of members of the public took the opportunity to walk through the gaslit tunnel ahead of its official opening 56 King Edward VII then Prince of Wales performed the opening ceremony on 20 January 1886 accompanied by Prince Albert Victor and Prince George later to become King George V All three had spent the previous night at Eaton Hall and travelled on the Royal Train between Chester and Rock Ferry where the locomotive was swapped for a Mersey Railway 0 6 4 tank engine and a temporary connection to the Mersey Railway traversed ahead of the journey through the tunnel to Liverpool 56 At 1 pm in the afternoon the Prince inaugurated the railway in James Street before attending a meal at Liverpool Town Hall 57 The first Mersey Railway passenger service ran ten days later on 1 February 1886 57 Around 36 000 passengers travelled on the railway on the first day of service and 2 5 million passengers were carried during the first six months 58 Upon opening the railway ran from James Street in Liverpool to Green Lane in Birkenhead via intermediate stations at Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Central A branch from Hamilton Square to Birkenhead Park opened on 2 January 1888 where it connected with the Seacombe Hoylake amp Deeside Railway later to become the Wirral Railway Once this extension was complete passengers were able to travel from Hoylake to Liverpool without changing trains as only the locomotives were changed for the Mersey Railway tunnelled section 59 On 16 June 1891 an extension was opened from Green Lane to Rock Ferry for connections with the Birkenhead Joint Railway 59 A further extension opened in Liverpool on 11 January 1892 from James Street to Liverpool Central 59 increasing the total length of the railway to 8 4 kilometres 5 2 mi 51 This extension was tunnelled using the cut and cover method due to a ban on the use of explosives in Liverpool city centre 51 58 Despite the four ventilation fans passenger numbers on the railway declined due to the steam engines filling the air with smoke and soot Coupled with the high cost of running the fans and drainage pumps the railway found itself bankrupt by 1900 51 60 Not long afterwards George Westinghouse an engineer and inventor offered to fund and carry out electrification work on the line 61 By the end of April 1903 and at a cost of 300 000 the electrification work was complete 62 making the railway Britain s first steam operated line to be converted to electric traction 60 61 A generating station adjacent to the pumping station on Shore Road was built and installed with three Westinghouse generators which provided 650 V DC to the fourth rail system 63 The last steam train departed Liverpool Central on 3 May 1903 at 12 26 am and electric operation commenced that afternoon after a long morning of driver training 64 65 Passenger numbers rose again after electrification and the Mersey Railway carried over nine million passengers the following year 60 To operate electric services 24 motor and 33 trailer carriages were constructed of Baldwin Westinghouse design 66 They were 60 feet 18 m long of an American styling and were manufactured at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia Pennsylvania 67 Four additional trailer vehicles of the same design were built during 1908 by G C Milnes Voss amp Company in Birkenhead 67 68 The electric Mersey Railway trains all used a multiple unit control system developed by Westinghouse which enabled trains with motor carriages at both ends to be driven from a single cab From 1904 driving controls were also fitted to selected trailer vehicles which enabled trains to be divided into shorter units during quieter times yet still be drivable from both ends 68 Additional vehicles were added to the fleet in 1925 and 1925 constructed by Cravens of Sheffield and in 1936 built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company 69 The Big Four Edit A Railway Clearing House map of the railways in Birkenhead and Bidston prior to the 1923 grouping The Railways Act 1921 took effect on 1 January 1923 when most railway companies in Britain were grouped into one of the Big Four The Wirral Railway became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway LMS company while the GCR which it met at Bidston was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway LNER 32 The Birkenhead Joint Railway and the Mersey Railway were both unaffected by the grouping of 1923 and remained in existence until the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 The Wirral Railway had considered electrification since 1900 but plans were not taken any further until 1935 when increasing traffic prompted the LMS to revive the scheme 70 Authorisation was granted for the West Kirby and New Brighton lines and work was completed by February 1938 32 The LMS had adopted a 650 V DC third rail system which differed from the fourth rail system of the Mersey Railway 34 To allow through services to run to Liverpool all trains had to be able to operate with both systems and automatic changeover devices were installed between each set of rails at Birkenhead Park 71 The LMS ordered 19 three car units to operate their new electric services which were later to become the Class 503 under the TOPS numbering system 72 The vehicles were built in Birmingham by Metropolitan Cammell and the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company 72 and were maintained at Birkenhead Central TMD 73 Station improvement and modernisation work also accompanied the electrification work at West Kirby Hoylake Meols Moreton Leasowe and New Brighton 34 With Mersey Railway trains able to use the LMS electrification system and vice versa on 13 March 1938 the Mersey Railway was given operation of the line from Birkenhead Park to New Brighton in exchange for LMS running powers between Birkenhead Park and Liverpool Central thus removing the need for passengers to change at Birkenhead Park for travel to Liverpool 70 The first direct services from West Kirby and New Brighton to Liverpool Central ran on 14 March 1938 the LMS operating the West Kirby services and the Mersey Railway running the New Brighton services 34 To keep LMS and Mersey Railway workers familiar with each other s routes on Sundays the LMS worked the Rock Ferry services and the Mersey Railway trains ran to West Kirby The Mersey Railway also ran additional services to West Kirby on bank holidays to cater for day trippers 74 During the Second World War the Liverpool Blitz of 1940 1941 caused severe damage to the Mersey Railway While overground services were disrupted on several occasions underground services always continued despite damage to station buildings 73 The explosion of a parachute mine just west of Birkenhead Park station demolished the carriage shed that was located there damaged vehicles were sent to Wolverton works and extensively rebuilt 73 The importance of a rail connection between Liverpool and Birkenhead during the war was such that four redundant six car trains from the Hammersmith amp City line of the former Metropolitan Railway were reconditioned by the London Passenger Transport Board and transferred to temporary LMS ownership however these trains never saw passenger service on the Wirral despite being stored at Birkenhead North and Hoylake 75 British Railways Edit Nationalisation of the railways took place on 1 January 1948 under the Transport Act 1947 15 All lines on the Wirral including the Mersey Railway were absorbed into the London Midland Region of British Railways At first services continued as before with trains from New Brighton and West Kirby to Liverpool Central and services on the former Birkenhead Joint Railway from Birkenhead Woodside to destinations such as London Paddington Chester General North Wales West Kirby via Hooton Wolverhampton Low Level Birmingham Snow Hill and Shrewsbury General 30 In 1955 the original Mersey Railway fourth rail system was replaced with the third rail system adopted by LMS from Birkenhead Park to New Brighton and West Kirby removing the need for automatic changeover switches 71 76 Despite the design already being 19 years old at the time a new batch of 28 third rail only Class 503 units was delivered the following year Of these 24 were ordered as replacements for the original Mersey Railway trains and the remaining four to replace stock damaged during the Second World War 72 As each new train was placed in service a Mersey Railway train was withdrawn and hauled by steam locomotive to Horwich Works for breaking up 77 In March 1963 Dr Beeching published his first report on the future of the railways recommending the closure of one third of the country s railway stations including Birkenhead Woodside 78 His second report in February 1965 proposed trunk routes between major cities including the West Coast route between London and Liverpool Manchester which was then being electrified 79 Once Birkenhead to Birmingham and London services were replaced with electric trains from Liverpool Lime Street only local diesel services to Chester and Helsby remained using Birkenhead Woodside which closed to passengers on 5 November 1967 Local services were terminated at Rock Ferry where a change to Liverpool city centre was available 30 The development of Merseyrail Edit Three Class 503 units at Rock Ferry in 1973 Trains to Liverpool terminated at James Street during this period while construction of the Loop Tunnel took place 80 Detail of the connections between the Loop Tunnel and the original Mersey Railway tunnel at James Street A Class 503 unit in the completed Loop Tunnel Note the end door at the front of the train added to the units from 1972 as a new Department of Transport requirement for rail stock used in tunnelled sections 72 The programme of route closures in the early 1960s known as the Beeching Axe included the closure of two of Liverpool s mainline terminal stations Liverpool Exchange and Liverpool Central high level in Liverpool and also Birkenhead Woodside terminal Station Riverside terminal station at the Pier Head was the fourth terminal station to close This was not a part of the Beeching cuts the demise of the trans Atlantic liner trade forced its closure in 1971 The Beeching Report recommended that the suburban and outer suburban commuter rail services into both Exchange and Central High level stations be terminated and that long and medium distance routes be concentrated on Lime Street station Liverpool City Council took a different view and proposed the retention of the suburban services and their integration into a regional rapid transit network This approach was backed up by the Merseyside Area Land Use and Transportation Study the MALTS report Liverpool City Council s proposal was adopted and Merseyrail was born 81 The Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority later named Merseytravel was formed in 1969 with representatives from all Merseyside local authorities taking responsibility for the local rail network henceforth known as Merseyrail At that time the lines out of Liverpool Exchange Liverpool Central Low Level and Liverpool Lime Street stations were completely separate and were given the names of Northern line Wirral line and City Line respectively The new Wirral line was to have a loop tunnel under Liverpool s city centre which would be an extension of the Mersey Railway tunnel This arrangement meant trains would only terminate in the Wirral Trains would leave Wirral terminus stations run into Liverpool s city centre and loop back out Four underground stations would be on this loop under Liverpool s city centre A further underground Link Tunnel connection between a new Moorfields through underground station and Liverpool Central underground creating a Liverpool north south crossrail was planned Moorfields would replace Liverpool Exchange terminus station The Mersey Railway Extensions Act was passed in 1968 to authorise the first stage of these improvements The Transport Act 1968 established the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority to control policy on public transport in the conurbation and the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive to manage ferry services and to make agreements with the National Bus Company and British Railways Board 82 The one track Loop Tunnel was designed to allow trains to run in a clockwise direction beneath Liverpool s city centre It diverged from the Mersey Railway tunnel beneath Mann Island extending the short Huskisson Dock branch tunnel This short tunnel was designed to extend to Huskinson Dock for freight purposes however the works never materialized A new platform was built at James Street From James Street the tunnel continued to new deep level platforms at Moorfields Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central before rejoining the existing Mersey Railway tunnel beneath the Queen Victoria monument to allow trains to continue serving one of the existing platforms at James Street The existing 1886 tunnel from James Street to Liverpool central was relegated to shunting purposes The Loop is a single track tunnel 2 miles 3 2 km in length 4 7 metres 15 ft in diameter and was driven during 1972 and 1973 through mainly sandstone rock The depth of the tunnel varies between 17 6 metres 58 ft and 37 8 metres 124 ft lined with concrete To bore the tunnel three new DOSCO electro hydraulic excavating machines were used giving a maximum work rate of 57 metres 187 ft per week 10 In addition to the construction of the Loop Tunnel a burrowing junction was constructed at Hamilton Square taking the line towards Birkenhead Park beneath the Rock Ferry lines This would allow peak time frequencies to be increased by removing interfering train paths at the flat crossing 83 84 A new platform was built at Hamilton Square for this diversion and the new tunnel is 620 6 metres 2 036 ft in length 10 In 1974 Merseyside was created with Merseyside County Council taking over the responsibilities of the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority 82 The Northern line including the new Link Tunnel between Moorfields and the original Mersey Railway platforms at Liverpool Central was opened to passengers on 2 May 1977 and the Loop Tunnel opened a week later with Wirral line trains serving Rock Ferry New Brighton and West Kirby The first phase of the Merseyrail development was formally opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978 when she visited Liverpool Central station and rode to Kirkby on the Northern line 80 To operate the new Merseyrail services procurement of new stock began for the Wirral line Following extensive testing of PEP stock 43 Class 508 units were ordered and constructed at BREL York during 1979 1980 85 Due to a stock shortage in the Southern Region the new four car trains were first introduced to operate inner suburban services from London Waterloo 86 This allowed the few remaining 4 SUB trains to be withdrawn so that their electrical equipment could be reclaimed for the new Class 455 units In 1981 the first two Class 508 units were sent north to Birkenhead and three more were transferred in February 1983 as Class 455s began to enter service 85 86 The new Class 455 7 units were originally specified as having four vehicles but they were delivered with only three vehicles as it was decided that one trailer would be removed from each Class 508 unit before being sent north to Birkenhead 87 The remaining Class 508 units were reduced to three carriages and delivered to Birkenhead by December 1984 allowing the Class 503 units to be withdrawn 85 In the early 1980s plans were made to extend the Wirral line from Rock Ferry to Hooton along the former Birkenhead Joint Railway route Third rail electrification work was carried out during 1985 and Hooton to Liverpool services started on 30 September that year at a 15 minute frequency 88 Bromborough Rake station opened along the line to coincide with the introduction of electric services and diesel multiple units provided onwards connections at Hooton to Helsby and Chester 12 Further electrification work to Chester and Ellesmere Port was planned to start in 1990 89 Electric services through to Liverpool from Chester commenced on 3 September 1993 and from Ellesmere Port on 29 May 1994 12 Post privatisation Edit The privatisation of British Rail began in 1994 under the Railways Act 1993 and allowed separate parts of the railway to be transferred to the private sector The Merseyrail network continued to operate as part of the Regional Railways sector of British Rail until 11 December 1996 when MTL was announced as the preferred bidder for the Merseyrail franchise 90 MTL ran the Merseyrail franchise as Merseyrail Electrics until 2000 when MTL was sold to Arriva by its shareholders and later rebranded as Arriva Trains Merseyside 91 The franchise was then run as Arriva Trains Merseyside 17 In 2003 Merseytravel took over responsibility for the Merseyrail franchise from the Strategic Rail Authority 17 In conjunction with this on 20 July 2003 the franchise was awarded to Serco NedRailways now Serco Abellio a 50 50 joint business venture between Serco and Abellio a subsidiary of Dutch national train operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen 92 93 94 Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd was established by Serco Abellio and the franchise is run under the Merseyrail brand with a 25 year contract ending in July 2028 and a review taking place every five years in line with the Merseyside Local Transport Plan 95 Infrastructure Edit Merseyrail network map Track Edit All railway lines are built to 1 435 mm 4 ft 8 1 2 in standard gauge The majority of the track has a loading gauge of W6 and the line has a Route Availability RA of RA 8 except for the New Brighton branch which is RA 6 96 This makes the whole line fairly restrictive and not very attractive for freight traffic 3 In 2017 the track laid in the late 1970s which runs under the Mersey was replaced by Network Rail over a six month period 97 Electrification Edit The whole network is electrified using the 750 V DC third rail system 3 The Mersey Railway was electrified in 1903 making it the first railway in the world to be converted entirely to electrification 98 The former Wirral Railway by then part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway LMS was electrified in 1938 13 The opening of the Loop in 1977 led to three electrified terminals on the Wirral New Brighton West Kirby and Rock Ferry Electrification south from Rock Ferry to Hooton followed in 1985 with extensions to Chester and Ellesmere Port in 1993 and 1994 respectively 13 99 Rolling stock Edit In 1938 following the electrification of the former Wirral Railway the LMS introduced new trains with air operated sliding doors These electric multiple units were eventually designated as Class 503 Further Class 503 units were built in 1956 to replace the former Mersey Railway carriages The entire Class 503 stock was replaced in 1983 with Class 508 units originally built in the late 1970s for services from London Waterloo 100 A few years earlier 1978 1980 almost identical Class 507 units had been introduced on the Northern line to replace Class 502 stock Following the privatisation of British Rail in 1993 citation needed Class 507 and 508 units have been used interchangeably on both the Wirral and Northern lines and in 2003 2004 the 59 strong Class 507 508 fleet was refurbished by Alstom s Eastleigh Works at a cost of 32 million 13 101 102 103 Maintenance of the Class 507 and 508 fleet is carried out at Birkenhead North TMD and Kirkdale TMD Birkenhead North TMD just west of Birkenhead North station focuses on major overhauls of the electric fleet whereas Kirkdale TMD situated south of Kirkdale station on the Northern line is used for undertaking minor repairs and cleaning activities Train cleaning operations took place at the now defunct Birkenhead Central TMD beside Birkenhead Central station until the late 1990s 9 It was expected by Merseyrail that the 507s and 508s would be withdrawn around 2014 and replaced by a new EMU but this has been postponed following the latest refurbishment In May 2012 Merseytravel announced that it had formally begun a project for replacement of the 507s and 508s 104 In December 2016 Merseytravel announced that Stadler had won the 460 million contract and that the new trains would be delivered from summer 2019 with all the old trains replaced by 2021 105 In May 2014 the lease on the Class 507s and 508s was extended to 2018 As part of the agreement with Angel Trains the fleet will receive a refresh package including external re livery internal enhancements and engineering work 106 Services EditDuring Monday to Saturday trains run every 15 minutes from Liverpool to each of New Brighton West Kirby and Chester and every 30 minutes to Ellesmere Port During peak times outside of the leaf fall season in autumn additional services run to evening peak respectively from morning peak Ellesmere Port giving a 15 minutes frequency there in the peak direction only Hooton is the point of interchange between trains to Ellesmere Port and trains to Chester and is served by six trains per hour from Liverpool four of which continue to Chester only two call at Capenhurst and two calling at stations to Ellesmere Port Due to the COVID 19 pandemic these frequencies reduced as of March 2020 107 By mid 2022 frequencies have been increased back towards their original levels 108 Interchange with the Northern line is available at Liverpool Central and Moorfields and with the City Line at Liverpool Lime Street Transport for Wales operate services from Bidston along the Borderlands Line to Wrexham Central 107 Various proposals over the years have suggested the electrification of part or all of this route and incorporating it into the Wirral line as well as also electrifying beyond Ellesmere Port through to Helsby 3 109 Connections are available with other National Rail services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester There is also a connecting service from Ellesmere Port to Helsby and Warrington Bank Quay 110 Incidents Edit Class 507 unit 507009 which derailed as it approached Birkenhead North station on 19 May 2004 A number of incidents have occurred on the Wirral line Unit 508118 while in storage in the siding at Birkenhead North was subject to an arson attack in 2001 The unit was scrapped 111 On 19 May 2004 Unit 507009 derailed at points as it approached Birkenhead North station 112 The leading bogie of four wheels came off the track but the train remained upright None of the 20 or so passengers on the train were injured 113 114 The cause was a worn switch rail and an imbalance in wheel loads across the leading carriage of the train 115 At 17 41 on 26 October 2005 the rear bogie of unit 508124 derailed in the Loop tunnel between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central 116 117 Due to concerns by Network Rail as to the condition of the track there had long been a temporary speed restriction of 20 mph 32 km h in the tunnel although at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at only 12 mph 19 km h None of the 119 passengers were injured the guard attended hospital overnight with a neck injury but was not detained 113 In August 2006 a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch RAIB cited poor track maintenance inadequacy of the rail fastening system and the track infrastructure and trains not being designed as a complete system as causes of the derailment 115 118 Liverpool bound services terminated at James Street instead of going around the Loop while investigation and track renewal work took place 119 120 121 On 19 April 2006 a small fire in the Mersey Railway Tunnel caused electrics to short circuit The 06 30 service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool Central was in the tunnel at the time of the incident All 120 passengers were escorted 400 yards 370 m through the tunnel to Hamilton Square 122 123 At 11 57 on 11 January 2007 unit 507019 hit the buffers at West Kirby as it was arriving from Liverpool Central There were no injuries to the 20 30 passengers but the driver and guard were treated for shock and minor rib injuries respectively 124 The train was travelling at around 5 mph 8 0 km h at the time of impact when it demolished the buffers and caused other minor damage 125 126 127 128 129 The unit was towed to Crewe Works and repaired 130 On 30 October 2007 a fire broke out on a Liverpool Central to Chester service The train was evacuated at Bromborough Rake The fire was caused by an electrical fault and the carriage involved was damaged 131 The West Kirby branch of the line has several level crossings and accidents at these involving pedestrian fatalities have taken place in July 2007 132 133 January 2008 134 135 and November 2009 136 137 138 139 140 See also Edit Cheshire portalCommuter rail in the United KingdomReferences Edit Merseyrail About Merseyrail Merseyrail Retrieved 30 May 2011 a b c Network Capability Baseline Declaration 1 Line speeds 2 London North Western Route North PDF Network Rail 31 March 2009 Retrieved 4 August 2010 a b c d e Merseyside Route Utilisation Strategy PDF Network Rail 25 March 2009 Retrieved 4 August 2010 04 Current Capability PDF Network Rail 1 August 2008 Retrieved 30 May 2011 Network Specification London North West PDF Route Plans Network Rail 13 June 2012 p 9 Retrieved 27 June 2012 Route Specifications London North West PDF Route Plans Network Rail 29 September 2011 p 326 Archived from the original PDF on 4 January 2015 Retrieved 27 June 2012 Merseyrail A brief history PDF Merseytravel 25 November 2007 Archived from the original PDF on 21 August 2011 Retrieved 4 August 2010 a b c Merseyrail Trains Rail Saver Archived from the original on 4 October 2010 Retrieved 4 August 2010 a b Route Plan O Merseyside PDF Route Plans 2010 Network Rail 30 March 2010 Retrieved 30 May 2011 a b c The Story of Merseyrail 1978 Construction The Story of Merseyrail 1978 Her Majesty The Queen officially opened Merseyrail on Wednesday 25 October 1978 a b c Wright Paul 20 April 2010 Hooton Station Disused Stations Retrieved 24 June 2012 a b c d Merseyrail Electrics Railway Britain Retrieved 4 August 2010 Merseyrail PDF Map PG258a 11 09KF ed Merseytravel 16 December 2009 Archived from the original PDF on 7 June 2011 Retrieved 30 May 2011 a b Her Majesty s Government 6 August 1947 Transport Act 1947 PDF Her Majesty s Stationery Office Retrieved 31 May 2011 British Transport Commission 1948 British Railways The New Organisation PDF British Transport Commission Retrieved 31 May 2011 a b c Merseyrail Trains History Merseyrail Archived from the original on 8 September 2008 Retrieved 20 July 2009 a b Rail transport History Archives of Upton by Chester amp district Upton by Chester Local History Group 10 September 2003 Retrieved 31 May 2011 SN 5622 Constructing the Company Governance and Procedures in British and Irish Joint Stock Companies 1720 1844 PDF The Economic and Social Data Service 19 April 2007 p 168 Retrieved 11 June 2011 a b c d The Chester to Birkenhead Railway through Upton by Chester History Archives of Upton by Chester amp district Upton by Chester Local History Group 17 February 2003 Retrieved 31 May 2011 Railway Viaduct over the Shropshire Union Canal Mollington British Listed Buildings Retrieved 23 June 2012 Rail Work Completed Press release Network Rail 28 February 2011 Archived from the original on 18 January 2015 Retrieved 23 June 2012 Whishaw 1838 p 48 a b Historic England CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD RAILWAY 1370534 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 31 May 2011 a b Wright Paul 20 April 2010 Birkenhead Monks Ferry Station Disused Stations Retrieved 31 May 2011 a b Wright Paul 20 April 2010 Ledsham Station Disused Stations Retrieved 1 June 2011 Chester Gateway SPD Supporting Info PDF Cheshire West and Chester Council 18 March 2008 p 11 Retrieved 1 June 2011 work commenced in August 1847 and the station was opened within the year on 1st August 1848 Slater J N July 1974 Notes and News Western s last General The Railway Magazine London IPC Transport Press 120 879 361 ISSN 0033 8923 Casserley 1968 pp 140 142 a b c Wright Paul 7 January 2012 Birkenhead Woodside Station Disused Stations Retrieved 24 June 2012 The Railway Magazine IPC Business Press 129 514 1983 OCLC 2254878 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Missing or empty title help a b c d e f g h i Paul Wright 21 May 2011 Disused Stations Railways at Bidston Disused Stations Retrieved 10 August 2011 Rickards 1863 p 1003 a b c d e f g h Robinson H A April 1938 The Wirral Railway Old and New The Railway Magazine 82 490 273 280 OCLC 462185 Retrieved 10 August 2011 The Railway News and Joint Stock Journal 1864 p 203 Bradshaw s Railway Manual Shareholders Guide and Directory for 1889 1889 p 300 Incorporated by act of 18 July 1872 for the purchase and acquiring of the Hoylake Railway and to enable the Hoylake and Birkenhead Tramway Company to construct tramways from the Docks Station of the Hoylake Railway to Woodside Ferry Birkenhead Gould Peter 28 July 2007 Birkenhead Corporation Transport 1901 1969 Local Transport History Archived from the original on 21 March 2009 Retrieved 11 August 2011 Speller John North Wales amp Liverpool Railway Committee John Speller s Web Pages Great Central Railway Retrieved 11 August 2011 Railway Upton in the Hundred of Wirral Retrieved 13 August 2011 Locomotive Railway Carriage amp Wagon Review 1925 p 33 Baughan 1980 p 60 The Wrexham Buckley and NW amp L Railways were transferred to the GCR from 1 January 1905 Holt 1978 p 55 and in 1907 the GCR gained access to the docks by a short extension from Bidston Gahan 1983 p 55 The Years of Triumph Gahan 1983 p 8 Major Isaac s Railway Gahan 1983 p 9 Major Isaac s Railway Why was the Mersey Railway Tunnel built Going underground the Mersey Railway Tunnel PortCities Liverpool Archived from the original on 19 August 2012 Retrieved 13 August 2011 a b c Gahan 1983 p 10 Major Isaac s Railway a b c d e Building the Mersey Railway Tunnel Going underground the Mersey Railway Tunnel PortCities Liverpool Archived from the original on 19 August 2012 Retrieved 13 August 2011 a b c Gahan 1983 p 11 Major Isaac s Railway a b c The Mersey Tunnel Scientific American Munn amp Co 21 532 13 March 1886 Archived from the original on 29 May 2013 Retrieved 13 August 2011 a b c d e f g h Knowles Eleanor Engineering Timelines Mersey Railway Engineering Timelines Retrieved 30 May 2011 a b c Gahan 1983 p 12 Major Isaac s Railway a b Gahan 1983 p 13 Major Isaac s Railway Gahan 1983 p 20 Major Isaac s Railway Gahan 1983 p 14 Major Isaac s Railway a b Gahan 1983 p 15 Major Isaac s Railway a b Gahan 1983 p 16 Major Isaac s Railway a b Famous visitors and the opening of the Railway Tunnel Going underground the Mersey Railway Tunnel PortCities Liverpool Archived from the original on 19 August 2012 Retrieved 13 August 2011 a b c Gahan 1983 p 17 Major Isaac s Railway a b c The Mersey Railway survives bankruptcy Going underground the Mersey Railway Tunnel PortCities Liverpool Archived from the original on 19 August 2012 Retrieved 13 August 2011 a b Gahan 1983 p 31 Electrification Gahan 1983 p 32 Electrification Gahan 1983 pp 34 35 Electrification Gahan 1983 p 33 Electrification Gahan 1983 p 34 Electrification Duffy 2003 p 57 The electrification of the Mersey Railway a b Gahan 1983 p 43 From Carriages to Cars a b Duffy 2003 p 58 The electrification of the Mersey Railway Gahan 1983 p 45 From Carriages to Cars a b Gahan 1983 p 49 The Years of Triumph a b Gahan 1983 p 71 The Years of Change and Development a b c d Class 503 Recognition and Equipment information The Railway Centre 16 February 2002 Archived from the original on 20 March 2003 Retrieved 23 June 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link a b c Gahan 1983 p 51 The Years of Triumph Gahan 1983 p 50 The Years of Triumph Gahan 1983 pp 51 52 The Years of Triumph Duffy 2003 p 78 Electric rapid transit railways and general railway electrification Gahan 1983 p 53 The Years of Triumph Beeching 1963 p 110 Beeching 1965 p 38 a b Wright Paul 13 November 2011 Disused Stations Liverpool Central Merseyrail Disused Stations Retrieved 24 June 2012 Liverpool City Centre Plan City Centre Planning Group 1965 a b The Story of Merseyrail 1978 Electrification Modern Transport The Periodical Publishing Co 91 15 1964 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Missing or empty title help Kemble Mike 19 June 2012 On Track in North Wirral Wirral History Retrieved 24 June 2012 a b c Class 508 Recognition and Equipment information The Railway Centre 5 February 2002 Archived from the original on 20 March 2003 Retrieved 24 June 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link a b Duff Colin 26 January 2009 Class 508 The Final Months Southern Electric Group Archived from the original on 27 July 2014 Retrieved 24 June 2012 Glasspool David 26 February 2011 Class 508 Kent Rail Retrieved 24 June 2012 Simmons amp Biddle 1997 p 272 Mass Transit 16 74 1989 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Missing or empty title help van de Velde 1999 p 62 Bannister Nicholas 25 January 2000 There ll be 13 500 along for bus drivers employees The Guardian Retrieved 24 June 2012 Preferred Bidder Merseyrail Electric Network Concession Press release Serco Grou plc 23 April 2003 Archived from the original on 13 March 2013 Retrieved 24 June 2012 The Dutch take over Arriva Trains Merseyside TSSA 4 June 2003 Retrieved 24 June 2012 Abellio Serco Merseyrail Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd Retrieved 24 June 2012 ATOC Mersey Rail Train Companies Association of 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2003 Archived from the original on 28 May 2006 Retrieved 6 August 2010 Merseytravel signals go ahead for new trains Merseytravel 14 May 2012 Archived from the original on 13 August 2012 Retrieved 17 May 2012 Merseytravel reveals new 460m train fleet plans with no train guards 16 December 2016 Best Merseyrail service for two years May 2014 a b Wirral Line Train Times 22 May 2011 10 December 2011 PDF Merseytravel 6 May 2011 Archived from the original PDF on 14 December 2010 Retrieved 21 May 2011 Merseyrail to return to 15 minute frequency Modern Railways 21 April 2022 Archived from the original on 21 April 2022 Retrieved 15 January 2023 Sallery Dave Electrification The Wrexham to Bidston railway The Borderlands line Retrieved 4 August 2010 Route 15 PDF Train Times Northern Rail 18 April 2011 Retrieved 21 May 2011 Knight Robert 3 July 2005 Farewell to the un refurbished Class 507 8 s Mersey Trains Retrieved 11 August 2010 Chambers Claire Davies Liz Sizer Paul Weltz Richard 16 August 2004 Half Year 2004 Safety Performance Report PDF Rail Safety and Standards Board RSSB Archived from the original PDF on 17 July 2011 Retrieved 9 August 2010 a b Traynor Luke Butler Adrian 27 October 2005 Fear in the dark Wirral News Liverpool Retrieved 9 August 2010 Barrett Tony 20 May 2004 Probe after train derailment chaos TheFreeLibrary com Liverpool Echo Retrieved 9 August 2010 a b Derailment near Liverpool Central underground station 26 October 2005 PDF Rail Accident Report Rail Accident Investigation Branch RAIB 11 August 2006 Retrieved 9 August 2010 Rush hour commuter train derailed BBC News Online London 26 October 2005 Retrieved 8 August 2010 Derailment down to track fault BBC News Online 18 January 2006 Retrieved 8 August 2010 Poor tracks caused derailment BBC News Online 11 August 2006 Retrieved 8 August 2010 Derailed train moved from tracks BBC News Online 27 October 2005 Retrieved 8 August 2010 Inquiry into rush hour derailment BBC News Online 27 October 2005 Retrieved 8 August 2010 Suliaman Tosin 27 October 2005 Crowded rush hour train derails The Times London Retrieved 8 August 2010 Train stranded in Mersey tunnel BBC News Online 19 April 2006 Retrieved 11 August 2010 Earlam Frances 28 April 2006 Hour long ordeal for passengers Wirral Globe Birkenhead Retrieved 11 August 2010 Khaleeli Homa 12 January 2007 Train crash leaves two in hospital Engine ploughs through buffers Liverpool Echo Retrieved 10 August 2010 Driver hurt as train hits buffers BBC News Online 11 January 2007 Retrieved 10 August 2010 Murphy Liam 12 January 2007 Passengers escape injury as Merseyrail train hits buffers Liverpool Daily Post Retrieved 10 August 2010 Murphy Liam 26 January 2009 Appendices of Proof of Evidence by Mr Steven Harrison PDF Public Inquiry Document Library Knowsley Council Archived from the original PDF on 18 August 2011 Retrieved 10 August 2010 Barker Kelly 11 January 2007 Train driver knocked out in crash Wirral Globe Birkenhead Retrieved 10 August 2010 Knight Robert 14 January 2007 Two Injured as Train Hits Buffers Mersey Trains Retrieved 10 August 2010 Bramley Dave 27 April 2007 507019 at Crewe Works while vehicle 64423 is under repair 100 2814m jpg Fotopic net Retrieved 11 August 2010 dead link Fenna Kelly 2 November 2007 Train evacuated after fire broke out Wirral Globe Birkenhead Retrieved 10 August 2010 Hughes Lorna 18 April 2008 Widow killed on Merseyrail line Liverpool Daily Post Retrieved 9 August 2010 Dunn Justin 31 July 2007 Woman killed at railway crossing Wirral Globe Birkenhead Retrieved 9 August 2010 Core Kevin 24 January 2008 Clive will be missed by all who knew him Liverpool Echo Retrieved 9 August 2010 Dunn Justin 30 January 2008 Hoylake says farewell to a fine friend Wirral Globe Birkenhead Retrieved 9 August 2010 Man killed at Wirral level crossing in Hoylake Liverpool Echo 17 November 2009 Retrieved 9 August 2010 John 17 November 2009 Man Dies At Hoylake Crossing Hoylake Junction Retrieved 9 August 2010 Hughes Lorna 18 November 2009 Investigation launched after man dies at rail crossing on Wirral s West Kirby line Liverpool Daily Post Retrieved 9 August 2010 Hughes Lorna 18 November 2009 Probe after third death on Wirral Line in three years Wirral News Liverpool Retrieved 9 August 2010 Probe as man dies on Hoylake railway Liverpool Echo 18 November 2009 Retrieved 9 August 2010 Bibliography EditBaughan Peter E 1980 Regional history of the railways of Great Britain North and Mid Wales Vol 11 illustrated ed Newton Abbot David and Charles ISBN 9780715378502 Beeching Richard February 1965 The development of the major railway trunk routes London British Railways Board Retrieved 24 June 2012 Beeching Richard 27 March 1963 The Reshaping of British Railways Part 1 Report London Her Majesty s Stationery Office Retrieved 24 June 2012 Bradshaw s Railway Manual Shareholders Guide and Directory for 1889 London W J Adams 1889 OCLC 173728390 Casserley Henry 1968 Britain s Joint Lines London Ian Allan ISBN 9780711000247 Duffy Michael Ciaran 2003 Electric railways 1880 1990 London The Institution of Electrical Engineers ISBN 9780852968055 Gahan John W 1983 The Line Beneath The Liners A hundred years of Mersey Railway sights and sounds Birkenhead Countyvise ISBN 9780907768401 Holt Geoffrey Ogden 27 July 1978 A regional history of the railways of Great Britain The North West Vol 10 Newton Abbot David amp Charles ISBN 9780715375211 Locomotive Railway Carriage amp Wagon Review Vol 31 Locomotive Pub Co 1925 The Railway News and Joint Stock Journal London The Office of the Railway News December 1864 OCLC 145379756 Rickards George 1863 The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1807 1865 His Majesty s statute and law printers OCLC 4814919 Simmons Jack Biddle Gordon 1997 The Oxford Companion to British Railway History From 1603 to the 1990s Oxford University Press ISBN 9780192116970 The Story of Merseyrail Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and British Rail December 1978 OCLC 8740619 van de Velde Didier 1999 Changing Trains Railway Reform and the Role of Competition The Experience of Six Countries Aldershot Ashgate ISBN 9781840148787 Whishaw Francis 1838 Analysis of railways consisting of a series of reports on the railways projected in England and Wales in the year M DCCC XXXVII 2nd ed London John Weale OCLC 642411114 Further reading Edit Merseyrail loop tunnels to be finally pumped dry RAIL No 323 EMAP Apex Publications 28 January 10 February 1998 p 15 ISSN 0953 4563 OCLC 49953699 External links Edit Media related to Wirral Line at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wirral line amp oldid 1141045006, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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