The Merseyrail network which serves this region is generally pretty popular - but that depends on where you live.
For those based near to a station on the network, Merseyrail is generally seen as a popular and punctual service that gets people to work and to see friends and family around the Liverpool City Region.
But there are gaping holes in the network that means many people in our region have basically no access to a local train for getting around.
READ MORE: New stations and buses part of £710m 'transport revolution'
In his Autumn budget statement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a n historic funding settlement of £710m for the Liverpool City Region.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has long been campaigning for an integrated public transport for the region and says this big cash boost will help with that.
On the Merseyrail front it will mean more places can access the train network and will also help with the creation of new operational stations.
We've had a close look at what that new and improved Merseyrail network could look like.
New stations
Baltic Triangle
In 2019, it was announced that two new Merseyrail stations would be created as part of a huge £172m cash injection.
The stations in question were Headbolt Lane in Kirkby and the reopening of St James Station, which closed in 1917.
The new funding will help to move forward the plans for St James Station include bringing the historic St James station, which will serve Liverpool's thriving Baltic Triangle creative and digital cluster, residential areas at the southern edge of the city centre and the waterfront.
The Combined Authority invested £1.5million in the scheme last October, purchasing land for the scheme and taking forward the design process.
Headbolt Lane
Development of the new station at Headbolt Lane, Kirkby is already well underway.
When completed, the new station will be located north of the existing Kirkby station and will aim to help improve transport links for the Northwood and Tower Hill areas of the town.
Woodchurch, Wirral
The money will also be used to progress plans for a new Merseyrail station to serve the Woodchurch area of Wirral. Speaking back in 2020, Mayor Rotheram said a new Woodchurch station was in his plans.
A new station is also being progressed at Carr Mill in St Helens.
Mayor Rotheram has previously also cited new stations to serve Liverpool's Anfield Stadium and Everton's new Bramley-Moore Dock ground as in his long term plans.
Merseyrail for All
As well as progressing plans for new stations, the new cash will help to support the Liverpool City Region's Merseyrail for All plans.
This is because the cash will help to pay for battery packs that can be fitted to the new £500m fleet of trains that will arrive on the Merseyrail network from next year.
This could also allow the new fleet to operate as far afield as Skelmersdale, Wrexham, Warrington and Runcorn.
Speaking about what the new funding will mean for the Merseyrail network, Mayor Rotheram said: "Good public transport is vital for connecting our communities with opportunity and with each other, but too many people face being left behind by a transport system that does not work for them. I want our region to have what London has had for decades: a network that is quick, cheap, reliable and makes getting around as easy as possible.
“Through our hard work and lobbying we have forced the government to take those plans seriously and the £710m we have secured is testament to that. This funding means we can get on with delivering some of the projects that are central to that London-style system."
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