{"id":2181917,"date":"2026-11-02T07:14:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T07:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/?p=2181917"},"modified":"2026-11-02T07:14:34","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T07:14:34","slug":"four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","title":{"rendered":"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest progress on four new Merseyrail stations will be considered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority this Friday\u00a0 (November 6), alongside plans for further investment in existing stations across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

The four new locations are Liverpool Baltic, Carr Mill in St Helens, Daresbury in Halton and Woodchurch on the Wirral.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liverpool Baltic is the most advanced of the four projects and is set to take a major step forward, with the combined authority being asked to approve its Full Business Case and give the green light for construction to get under way.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new station is on the site of the St James train station which lies in a deep cutting between Central and Brunswick stations.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was originally opened on March 1, 1874 and closed on January 1, 1917, and has lain derelict ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the cost of delivering the station, which has received planning consent and was originally due to open in 2025, has spiralled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Initially estimated to cost \u00a380m, this rose to \u00a3100m and last week the combined authority revealed the new total cost is \u00a3160m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the other three proposed stations, bringing Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s ambition to extend the rail network to more communities another step closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The plans build on the opening of new stations at Headbolt Lane and Maghull North, alongside the introduction of a \u00a3500m fleet of publicly-owned Merseyrail trains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Rotheram said: “When I became Mayor, it had been nearly 20 years since the last new Merseyrail station opened. Since then, we’ve opened two more – and now we’re making progress on another four.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve always believed that where you live shouldn’t determine the opportunities available to you in life. But if you can’t get to a decent job, college or university because there’s no convenient rail connection, you’re already starting at a disadvantage. I don’t think that’s right.<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s the thinking behind Merseyrail for All. I want to bring the benefits of our fantastic Merseyrail network to more people and places, including communities that have been cut off from those opportunities for too long.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We’ve already invested more than \u00a3500m in new publicly-owned trains, and in 2028 we’re taking Merseyrail itself into public ownership. Alongside bringing our buses back under local control, it’s all part of building a transport network that works for passengers, not the other way around.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Liverpool Baltic would connect the growing Baltic Triangle neighbourhood directly to the Merseyrail network, making it easier for people to travel to and from the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Subject to the necessary approvals, construction is expected to begin in 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Halton, work is under way to explore plans for a new station at Daresbury, with feasibility studies and an initial business case commissioned. Findings are expected in early 2027 to help shape the next steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Carr Mill in St Helens, initial plans and designs have been completed, with further development work planned alongside Network Rail, Northern and St Helens Council. The proposed station would improve rail connections for local communities, making it easier for residents to reach jobs and education.<\/span><\/p>\n

And on the Wirral, plans for a new station at Woodchurch are also progressing, with early development work under way and findings expected in early 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside plans for the four new stations, the combined authority is also investing in improvements to the existing rail network to make journeys easier and more accessible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Work is progressing to improve step-free access at Aigburth and Rock Ferry, while further schemes are being developed at Port Sunlight and Walton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plans are also in hand for a major upgrade of Runcorn station, including a modern ticket office, improved waiting facilities, retail space and passenger toilets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further improvements are being explored at Moorfields, while a \u00a326m programme will improve signs, directions and real-time travel information across the wider public transport network, making it easier for passengers to find their way and change between services.<\/span><\/p>\n

The investment comes as the combined authority prepares to bring Merseyrail services into public ownership in 2028, when the current operating contract comes to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n

The move will give the city region greater control over how its trains are run, helping to join up rail services with the publicly controlled bus network, ferries and future rapid transit connections.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217725,"featured_media":2133714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136545,47996],"coauthors":[46761],"class_list":["post-2181917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-government","category-transport","tag-featured-story","tag-liverpool-city-region"],"yoast_head":"\nFour proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North West\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Neil Hodgson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Neil Hodgson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority\",\"name\":\"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/fa48fb423602cb1966a9a546cfe09356\"},\"description\":\"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1333,\"caption\":\"A CGI of the planned Liverpool Baltic station\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/\",\"name\":\"North West\",\"description\":\"Regional business news for North West\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/fa48fb423602cb1966a9a546cfe09356\",\"name\":\"Neil Hodgson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/25f0ca12630eea7c4ef70e0e79410230\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c4f4bd7490f3eb3a48232a5106ce659a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c4f4bd7490f3eb3a48232a5106ce659a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neil Hodgson\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/author\/neilhodgson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority","description":"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority","og_description":"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme","og_url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","og_site_name":"North West","article_published_time":"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1333,"url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Neil Hodgson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Neil Hodgson","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority","name":"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-02T07:14:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/fa48fb423602cb1966a9a546cfe09356"},"description":"Cost of Liverpool Baltic station has doubled after delays to construction programme","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_24\/Liverpool-Baltic-CGI-Main-Station.jpg","width":2000,"height":1333,"caption":"A CGI of the planned Liverpool Baltic station"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/2181917-four-proposed-merseyrail-stations-to-be-considered-by-combined-authority#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Four proposed Merseyrail stations to be considered by combined authority"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/","name":"North West","description":"Regional business news for North West","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/fa48fb423602cb1966a9a546cfe09356","name":"Neil Hodgson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/25f0ca12630eea7c4ef70e0e79410230","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c4f4bd7490f3eb3a48232a5106ce659a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c4f4bd7490f3eb3a48232a5106ce659a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Neil Hodgson"},"url":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/news\/author\/neilhodgson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217725"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2181917"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2181920,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181917\/revisions\/2181920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2133714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2181917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2181917"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/northwest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2181917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}