There was big news in the Merseyrail world this week.
Long-awaited plans for a new station on the network were released.
A new or redeveloped station serving the thriving Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool has been an ambition for some time - and the early CGI designs mean that ambition has moved a step closer.
READ MORE: Fly-through video shows full new Merseyrail station plan
But the Baltic isn't the only place set to benefit from a new station or better links with the city region's famous yellow rail network.
In his Autumn budget statement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an 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.
Here we've taken a look at how those new stations and links could look and how it will benefit the people of the city region.
Baltic Triangle
So we have to start with the Baltic Triangle as it was the big transport story of the week.
The Baltic, which lies on the southern edge of the city centre, has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 15 years, changing from a collection of derelict docklands warehouses to a thriving social, commercial and creative hub.
It is now home to a diverse range of over 350 creative and digital industries, with over 1,000 apartments built since 2012 and plans for at least 3,000 more, alongside the various popular creative and leisure facilities that have opened.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has pledged to create the new station on the site of the former St James station, which closed in 1917 and that vision has now moved closer with the first CGI images of how a new station could look.
The station also requires a new name - and the Liverpool City Region wants people to vote for their favourite of a selection of naming options.
A shortlist of three potential names has been produced after initial discussions between the main partners on the scheme - Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Network Rail, Merseyrail and Liverpool City Council.
To avoid any confusion with the existing James Street station in Liverpool city centre, a decision has been taken to pick a new name for the station that will reflect the modern area in which it will be located.
The three names to choose from are:
- Liverpool Baltic
- Liverpool Parliament Street
- Liverpool Riverside
The public vote is open until 5pm on Friday 18 February and can be accessed on our Commonplace site at https://newliverpoolstation.commonplace.is/
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 new money announced by the government late last year 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 recently-won 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."
