Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Lancashire and Cheshire in North West England. The network consists of two lines, the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which together serve 69 stations along of routes, of which are underground. It uses Class 777 trains based on the Stadler METRO platform, which primarily operate on electrified track. The network carried 29.9 million passengers in 2024/2025. Since 2003 the network has been run as a concession, held by a 50:50 joint venture between Serco and Transport UK Group (previously Abellio UK).
Merseyrail was established in 1977, when existing railway lines were connected by constructing new tunnels under Liverpool city centre and Birkenhead. The network has since been expanded through the creation of new stations, the electrification of existing lines, and the use of trains capable of running on battery power; the last allow trains to reach despite the line leading to the station not being electrified.
Network The Merseyrail network is primarily a self-contained network, operated by Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Limited, a Merseytravel concession, currently held as a 50:50 joint venture between Serco and Transport UK Group (previously Abellio and NedRailways). The concession was awarded to the venture by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and is overseen by Merseytravel, the passenger transport executive which co-ordinates public transport across the Liverpool City Region. Prior to the concession starting in July 2003, the network was run as Arriva Trains Merseyside. Merseyrail manages 67 stations on the network.
The network consists of two halves, the Northern line and the Wirral line, both of which are mainly third-rail, powered by system, with a small portion from Fazakerley to Headbolt Lane being run with BEMUs. Each service on both lines, with the exception of the Ellesmere Port Branch, has service frequencies of 15minutes. The Ellesmere Port branch has a 30-minute frequency. Trains on the Northern line and Wirral line cover the Liverpool City Region. The total route length of the two lines is , accommodating 69 stations. The lines connect Liverpool city centre with cities and towns on the outer reaches of the city region, such as Southport, Chester and Ormskirk.
The City Line, marked red on the network map, is operated by several other operators, such as Northern Trains, London Northwestern Railway, TransPennine Express, and others, with funding from Merseytravel. The City line is made up of several branches, which are mainly electrified with OHLE, but one branch, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Warrington, is operated by diesel trains.
The three lines interchange as follows: Northern and City line services interchange at Liverpool South Parkway and Hunts Cross in the south of the city. Wirral and City lines interchange at Lime Street in the city centre. Northern and Wirral lines interchange at Liverpool Central and Moorfields in the city centre.
Northern line
The Northern line is shown in blue on the Merseyrail and Merseytravel maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate on three main routes: from Hunts Cross in the south of Liverpool to via the Link tunnel from Brunswick station through central Liverpool, from Liverpool Central to , and from Liverpool Central to Headbolt Lane via Kirkby. Each route operates a train every 15minutes from Monday to Saturday, giving a frequent interval between trains on the central section. Some additional trains run at peak hours on the Southport line.
On matchdays at Liverpool F.C.'s Anfield, Northern line services connect with the SoccerBus service at Sandhills station to transport fans to the stadia. Bus departures are at frequent intervals from Sandhills station with ticketing to combine both modes of travel. Sandhills station is within walking distance of Everton FC's Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at: to and ; Liverpool South Parkway for services operated by London Northwestern Railway, East Midlands Railway, TransPennine Express and Northern serving , , and various destinations within Yorkshire and the West Midlands; Hunts Cross to and ; Ormskirk to ; to Blackburn via Wigan Wallgate and .
Wirral line
The Wirral line is shown in green on the Merseyrail and Merseytravel maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate from the four terminus stations of: , , and . Each service from one of these the terminus stations runs through underground station in Birkenhead, then through the Mersey Railway Tunnel, continuing around the single-track underground loop tunnel under Liverpool city centre. Trains head back into the Mersey Railway Tunnel to return to one of the four terminus stations.
Monday-Saturday services are every 15minutes to/from Liverpool to Chester, New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 30minutes to/from Ellesmere Port (Monday–Sunday). These combine to give a service at least every five minutes from Birkenhead Hamilton Square and around the loop under Liverpool city centre.
Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at: on the West Kirby branch for the Borderlands line to Wrexham, operated by Transport for Wales; Chester to Crewe and London Euston, Wrexham and Shrewsbury, the North Wales Coast line to Llandudno and , and to Manchester either via Warrington or via Northwich and Knutsford; for an infrequent service to and from Warrington; Liverpool Lime Street for intercity and regional trains to London Euston, Manchester, Birmingham, Wigan, Scotland, the Midlands and Wales.
Other related services
City Line
The City Line, or City Lines, is the brand name used by Merseytravel on services out of the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street station to 26 stations on its sponsored network, and cross-boundary destinations outside the Liverpool City Region. Merseytravel has policies in place to improve the service frequency, to introduce new services and to invest in the City line. Despite the City Line being operated by other train operators than Merseyrail, as of 2000, it is marketed and branded as Merseytravel or Merseyrail to meet the passenger transport executive's aims to provide the network with a local identity and shared fare and ticketing structures. The line is depicted on signage and maps using the colour red and the above word mark, but unlike the other two lines without the term "Merseyrail".
Unlike the Northern and Wirral lines, the City line is not operated by Merseyrail. It is part of the Northern franchise and not the Merseyrail concession.
The City line covers the Liverpool City Region sections of the Crewe–Liverpool line, the two Liverpool–Manchester lines, and the Liverpool–Wigan line. Two services are not electrified, the Manchester via Warrington Central and Chester via Runcorn.
Northern mainly operate the City line with additional services operated by TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Transport for Wales, and West Midlands Trains.
History
The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century: the original formation of the Mersey Railway and the Mersey Railway Tunnel was among the first underground railway tunnels. The modern Merseyrail network was developed in the 1970s from lines that were previously owned by several different railway companies. The Beeching axe during the early 1960s closed key routes in and around Liverpool; the council proposed an alternate strategy and advocated the preservation of suburban services integrated into a new regional electrified rapid-transit network. The network underwent a period of electrification and expansion, becoming a single network in 1977, a major project being the Loop and Link line, creating a continuous underground route through Liverpool city centre.
Over the years, several new stations such as in 1998 and in 2017 have been added to the network. Most recently in 2023, has opened and is served on the network by battery-electric trains. Various proposals have been suggested on how to further expand the network, including beyond the Liverpool City Region area. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that it was planning to use part of a £172million funding package to reopen St James Station in Liverpool City Centre, officially confirmed as station following a public vote in April 2022.
In August 2026 Merseyrail announced a ban on non-folding e-cycles, including station buildings, car parks and cycle storage facilities to start on 1 January 2027, saying that "safety considerations led us to introduce the ban", though approved mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs would continue to be allowed on the network. The ban is being challenged by Cycling UK.
Services
Point-to-point or return tickets are purchased from staffed offices or ticket machines, but the system is tightly integrated with Merseytravel's City Region-wide pass system, which also encompasses the Mersey Ferries and city and regional bus networks. Merseytravel's smart ticketing is via the local MetroCard smartcard system, including Merseyrail travel.
Typical weekday off-peak service on the Merseyrail-run Northern and Wirral lines, , is as follows: Northern line Route Calling at to 4 to 4 Liverpool Central to 4 Wirral line Route Calling at Liverpool Central to 4 Liverpool Central to 4 Liverpool Central to 4 Liverpool Central to 2
Fleet Merseyrail took over the fleet of Class 507 and 508 units from previous operator Arriva Trains Merseyside, which were refurbished by Alstom at Eastleigh Works between 2003 and 2005.Merseyrail units get facelift The Railway Magazine issue 1227 July 2003 page 72Merseyrail 507/508 refurbishment complete Entrain issue 45 September 2005 page 57 The Class 507 and 508 have all since been withdrawn,the Class 508s in January 2024 and the Class 507s in November 2024.Class 508s finish Railways Illustrated issue 254 April 2024 page 22Final Merseyrail Class 507s are taken out of service Railways Illustrated issue 264 February 2025 page 20 In 2020, rolling-stock manufacturer Stadler Rail delivered the first of a new fleet of 53 trains, designated Class 777, based on their Stadler METRO platform. Merseytravel has an option to purchase up to 60 additional units could be exercised if services are extended to new destinations such as Helsby, Skelmersdale or Wrexham.
The first Class 777 unit entered into service on the Northern line on 23 January 2023. Initially they were being used on the Kirkby route, followed by the Ormskirk route. The trains were introduced to the Wirral line, Ormskirk, Southport and Hunts Cross routes in late 2023. A small portion of the fleet are BEMUs, with these operating the services to Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby.
Merseyrail's fleet is maintained and stabled at Kirkdale TMD, Stadler's United Kingdom headquarters, and additionally units are stabled at Birkenhead North TMD, and Southport Carriage Holding Sidings.
During Merseyrail's history, there were several other depots, such as Hall Road TMD and Birkenhead Central TMD.
Current fleet ClassImageTypeTop speedNumberCarriagesRoutes operatedBuiltIn service mph km/h 777 METRO EMUBEMU75120534 All Northern line services All Wirral Line services201820212023–present
Past fleet
The original service on the Merseyrail lines was provided by the Class 502 on the Northern line and Class 503 on the Wirral line. The former was withdrawn by 1980 and the latter by 1985.