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Merseyrail Electrics |
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Origins of the Merseyrail Electrics network: Mersey Railway and the Wirral Lines (Liverpool Central to New Brighton, West Kirby and Rock Ferry) The Mersey Railway from Liverpool to Birkenhead via the Mersey Tunnel opened in 1886. This railway tunnel was the first tunnel to be built under the River Mersey and was designed by Sir Charles Fox. The first section of the railway to open was from James Street to Green Lane via Birkenhead Central and Hamilton Square. In 1888 an extension to Birkenhead Park was opened, with a connection onto the Wirral Railway which ran to West Kirby, New Brighton and Seacombe. In 1891 the Mersey Railway was extended from Green Lane to Rock Ferry where it connected with the Chester & Birkenhead Joint Railway (LNWR & GWR) from Birkenhead Woodside to Chester. In 1891 the Mersey Railway on the Liverpool side was extended from James Street to a new low level station at Liverpool Central. The total length of the tunnel was 3.12 miles and by 1890 it was carrying 10 million passengers per year. From the opening of the Mersey Railway network in 1886, the trains were operated by steam locomotives. These steam locomotives were eight powerful 0-6-4T steam locomotives obtained from Beyer, Peacock & Co. designed to cope with the steep gradients on the Mersey Railway. They were fitted with condensing apparatus for working in the tunnel. One of them (number 5 Cecil Raikes) is preserved by the National Museums Liverpool but is currently in store. It is likely that it is named after Henry Cecil Raikes who was a Member of Parliament for  Photo: Mersey Railway 0-6-4T No 5 Cecil Raikes steam locomotive introduced in 1886 Beyer Peacock built a ninth 0-6-4T locomotive in 1886, along with six 2-6-2T locomotives in 1887–1888. A seventh 2-6-2T was built by Kitson & Co in 1892.After electrification four of the Railway's 0-6-4T locomotives were sold to J. & A. Brown of New South Wales, Australia, where one, number 5, former Mersey Railway number 1 The Major, is preserved at the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere, New South Wales, Australia. In 1903 the decision was made to electrify the Mersey Railway network and it became the first underground railway in the world to be fully converted from steam to electric operation. It was originally electrified with a fourth rail system but later this was converted to a third rail system. So the Mersey Railway operated electric trains from Liverpool Central to Birkenhead Park and Rock Ferry where passengers made onward connections for points beyond.  Photo: Mersey Railway 1903 electric train stock. In 1923 with the Grouping of the Railways to form the Big Four railways, the Wirral Railway network from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby, New Brighton and Seacombe became part of the LMS. In 1938 the LMS electrified the former Wirral Railway lines from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby and New Brighton. However the line to Seacombe was not electrified and later was closed. Later in 1971 the alignment of this line became the approach road for the new Kingsway Tunnel. At the same time the LMS introduced new "Wirral" class 503 electric multiple unit trains to enable them to operate through to Liverpool Central. These were very revolutionary new trains as they were the first modern style electric multiple unit (EMU) trains to be introduced in the UK. Photo Gallery: Merseyside's Art Deco Rail Stations http://www.flickr.com/photos/naughton2010/sets/72157625699639957/  Photo: LMS "Wirral" class 503 electric multiple units introduced in 1938 As part of the electrification of the Wirral Lines, the Mersey Railway trains were integrated with the Wirral Line trains of the LMS for timetabling purposes, but the Mersey Railway remained an independent company. Normally the new LMS trains handled the Liverpool Central to West Kirby services, while the older Mersey Railway trains handled the Liverpool Central to New Brighton and Rock Ferry services. In 1948 with the nationalisation of Britain's railways to form British Rail, the Mersey Railway lost its independence and also was nationalised. By 1956 the old Mersey Railway trains were life expired and were replaced by British Rail with new trains to the same design as the LMS 1938 electric trains used on the Wirral Line. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (Liverpool Exchange to Southport Chapel Street, Ormskirk and Kirkby) The Liverpool to Southport line was opened in 1848. In 1850 its Liverpool terminus became Liverpool Exchange and in 1851 the Southport terminus became Southport Chapel Street. In 1855 it became part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. In 1904 the LYR electrified the Liverpool Exchange to Southport and Crossens line using a fourth rail system, which was later converted to a third rail system. It was the first mainline suburban railway in the UK to be electrified. In 1906 the electrified network was extended from Liverpool Exchange to Aintree and in 1913 this was extended from Aintree to Ormskirk. Thus the LYR electrified network around Liverpool radiated from Liverpool Exchange to Southport and Ormskirk. In addition to these electified suburban services, Liverpool Exchange also had long distance services to destinations such as Manchester Victoria, Wigan, Preston, Blackpool and Scotland. In 1923 with the Grouping of the Railways to form the Big Four railways, the LYR became part of the LMS. In 1939 emulating the success of the new electric trains introduced on the Wirral Line, the LMS introduced similar new trains for the Southport Line. These were also notable modern style electric multiple unit trains modelled onthose for the Wirral Lines and were classed as "Southport" class 502 trains. In 1948 the railways were nationalised to form British Rail. By the late 1960s the long distance services out of Liverpool Exchange were switched to Liverpool Lime Street. As a result at that remained was a few suburban services to Bolton, Manchester and Wigan, plus of course the local electrified services. Photos below: Liverpool Exchange rail station in its final years.  (c) Disused Stations  (c) Disused Stations  (c) Disused Stations On the 3rd August 1968, the last British Rail scheduled passenger train to be hauled by a standard gauge steam locomotive, ended its journey at Liverpool Exchange, Stanier 'Black 5' no. 45318 having hauled from Preston the Liverpool portion of the evening Glasgow to Liverpool and Manchester train. It was the end of an era. The Cheshire Lines Committee (Liverpool to Garston) The Cressington to Brunswick line via Garston in South Liverpool was opened in 1864. In 1865 it became part of the Cheshire Lines Committee joint network. In 1874 the line was extended to a new Liverpool terminus at Liverpool Central high level. Liverpool Central became the headquarters of the Cheshire Lines Committee. The station had a grand arched trainshed roof and 6 platforms. Services radiated out of Liverpool Central to Manchester Central, London St Pancras, Hull, Harwich, Stockport Tivot Dale, Southport Lord Street and London Marylebone. In 1891 the Mersey Railway opened their low level station at Liverpool Central. In 1923 with the Grouping of the Railways to form the Big Four railways, the Cheshire Lines Committee became a joint railway of the LMS and LNER replacing the previous partners of Great Northern Railway, Great Central Railway and the Midland Railway. Finally in 1948 the railways were nationalised to form British Rail. Sadly the Cheshire Lines Committee services out of Liverpool Central fell victim to the Beeching Axe in the 1960s and many of its services were diverted to Liverpool Lime Street. The remnants of the train service finally ceased in 1972 when the line from Liverpool Central to Garston was closed and Liverpool Central high level was demolished in 1973. For many years the site of the high level platforms was used as a car park, but in 2009 work is to start on the Central Village regeneration scheme which will redevelop the site as a shopping centre, hotels, flats and a public square with links into today's Liverpool Central station. Birth of the modern Merseyrail Electrics network: In 1968, Merseytravel was created as the transport authority for Merseyside. Quickly a vison was developed to fully integrated the electrified commuter lines of Liverpool into an integrated network. As a precursor to this the Wirral, Ormskirk, Kirkby and Southport Lines are rebranded as Merseyrail in 1971. As a result a link tunnel was built under Liverpool city centre joining the lines out of the former Liverpool Exchange station to those out of the former Liverpool Central station. New city centre stations on this link were created at Moorfields and Liverpool Central. Also a loop line was built to link the Wirral Line services so from James Street, trains entered the new loop serving Moorfields (replacing Liverpool Exchange station), Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central before returning to James Street. These major works were completed in 1977 and this allowed Liverpool Exchange station to be closed. At the same time the longer distance diesel service to Preston was truncated back to start at Ormskirk, while the Bolton service was truncated back to Kirkby and the line from Liverpool to Kirkby was electrified and became part of the new Merseyrail Electrics network. As a result a new integrated Merseyrail Electrics suburban network was created with two lines. Wirral Line - Liverpool City Centre loop to Hamilton Square, New Brighton, West Kirby and Rock Ferry. Northern Line - Liverpool City Centre to Garston and Hunts Cross in the south, and to Kirkby, Ormskirk and Southport in the north. This now forms the basis of today's modern Merseyrail Electrics network. In 1978-9 British Rail introduced new class 507 and 508 trains to replaced the life expired LMS class 502 and 503s dating from 1938, 1939 and 1956. Thus the new Merseyrail Electrics network was born as an integrated network and had a new rolling stock fleet to match. Further extensions to the electrified third rail network were then undertaken over the years including from Rock Ferry to Hooton in 1985, Hooton to Chester in 1993 and finally Hooton to Ellesmere Port in 1994. Finally, Liverpool had an excellent electrified commuter network in the form of Merseyrail Electrics. In 1986 British Rail celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Opening of the Mersey Railway, and 2011 will mark the 125th Anniversary of the Mersey Railway. By the mid 1990s the Merseyrail Electrics network included: Wirral Line - Liverpool to Hamilton Square, New Brighton, West Kirby, Rock Ferry, Hooton, Chester and Ellesmere Port. Northern Line - Hunts Cross to Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby via Liverpool. Privatisation and today's Merseyrail Electrics:  Photo: Merseyrail Electrics train at the art deco Hoylake rail station on the Wirral Line on the 13th December 2009 (Alex Naughton Collection) Click here to see a route map of the Merseyrail Electrics network In 1995 British Rail was privatised and the Merseyrail Electrics franchise was created for the electric suburban network in Merseyside comprising the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. In 2003 the responsiblity for the Merseyrail Electrics franchise was transferred from Central Government to Merseytravel. In conjunction with this, the 25 year concession to operate services on these lines was awarded to the consortium between Serco-NedRailways in 2003.Today, the Merseyrail Electrics network is the most intensive commuter network in the UK outside of Greater London. It is also one of the best performing rail franchises in the UK with very high standards of reliability, punctuality and safety. A full refurbishment programme has been undertaken for the rolling stock, and in 2006 the stations at Allerton and Garston were merged to create Liverpool South Parkway as an interchange between the rail services out of Liverpool Lime Street and those on the Northern Line operated by Merseyrail Electrics. By January 2009 Merseyrail Electrics had become the first fully secure rail network in the UK. All 66 stations have now been awarded the coveted “secure station” status after visits by the British Transport Police on behalf of the Department for Transport in association with Crime Concern. The task of accrediting all stations on the Merseyrail network began in July 2004, when Ormskirk was the first to receive a “Secure Station” award. Tough industry standards evaluate safety measures including CCTV, design standards of both buildings and facilities and the quality of customer service. Having gained secure station status the network will be regularly re-assessed to ensure that high standards are maintained. This was further enhanced in February 2010 when all 36 station car parks on the network were awarded the coveted "secure car park" status. Thus passengers on the Merseyrail Electrics network can be assured that they are travelling on one of the safest rail networks in the UK. Merseyrail Electrics has also introduced the innovative "MtoGo" concept at some of its stations. MtoGo combines the sale of the full range of Merseyrail and national rail tickets with the sale of foods and other items specifically aimed at busy commuters in a rush. In other words it is an integrated booking office and convenience store. Unlike other shops at UK rail stations, MtoGo is not a franchise but is an integral part of Merseyrail's station organisation staffed with its own staff. It is based on a tried and tested model of station retailing at rail stations in the Netherlands with an emphasis on chilled areas including an extensive sandwich range, various snacks and drinks, newspapers, magazines and high quality tea and coffee. The MtoGo concept enhances the station environment and makes the train journey and waiting for the train more enjoyable. It enables passengers to have something to eat, drink or read whilst travelling. More staff and more tills offer greater flexibility at busy times and improve security overall. In addition to serving rail users, MtoGo also places rail stations at the heart of the community and serves people who work or live nearby. The first MtoGo store was opened at Liverpool Moorfields (Old Hall Street entrance) in July 2006. Since then a further two MtoGo stores have opened in 2007 at Birkenhead Hamilton Square and at Southport. In November 2009 the largest MtoGo store so far opened at Liverpool Central and in early 2010 a small MtoGo was opened at Hooton. Further MtoGo stores are planned for introduction at Liverpool Lime Street (Low Level) and at Liverpool Moorfields (main entrance). The MtoGo concept is very innovative and is proving to be a very successful addition to the station facilities on the Merseyrail Electrics network. Looking to the future, Merseytravel and Merseyrail Electrics are in discussions about getting new rolling stock to replace the existing trains from around 2015. In the short term to strengthen the existing fleet, some Class 508 trains recently released by South Eastern and London Overground may be acquired and refurbished to join the Merseyrail Electrics fleet. However options are still being explored. Additionally options are being explored regarding the potential to further expand the Merseyrail Electrics network including the Bidston to Wrexham line, and extending to from Kirkby to Skelmersdale or Wigan, and extending from Ormskirk to Preston and Southport. All of these aspirations of course will depend on a robust business case, feasibility and cost effectiveness. But Merseyrail Electrics has a bright future and will continue to be one of the best rail networks in the UK. In 2011 the Mersey Railway will celebrate its 125th Anniversary and this venerable system still plays a vital role today in Merseyside's rail network. Merseyrail Electrics Ltd www.merseyrail.org Merseytravel www.merseytravel.gov.uk Serco-NedRailways consortium www.serco-nedrailways.com This Serco-NedRailways consortium is formed between Serco plc and NedRailways. NedRailways is a subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) Group (NS Dutch Railways). In January 2010 NedRailways was rebranded as Abellio. Serco plc www.serco.com Abellio (formerly known as NedRailways) www.abellio.com Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS Dutch Railways) www.ns.nl |
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