Merseyrail's Wirral line is a commuter railway line that serves the Wirral Peninsula, which is owned by Network Rail and operated by Merseyrail.
One hundred thousand passengers a day use Liverpool's Merseyrail trains by way of 800 daily departures. The Merseyrail system is 75 miles long - 6.5 miles of which is underground and via the Mersey Tunnel - and has 66 stations, four of which are located in and around Liverpool City centre, they are -
Liverpool Lime Street - For national rail services.
Liverpool Central - For main shopping areas.
Moorfields - For central business district. This station is the deepest of the Merseyrail stations as it is located below the Queensway Tunnel.
James Street - For Liverpool One, Liverpool Waterfront and tourist attractions.
The Wirral Line was developed by way of the amalgamation of three former historic, national railways - the Mersey Rail - Britain's second underground rail system built in 1886 and the first line in the world to be wholly electrified - the Wirral Railway built in 1863 and the Chester + Birkenhead Railway built in 1838.
Today, the Wirral Line is 33 miles long ( 54km) and has four routes - Liverpool to West Kirby, Liverpool to Chester, Liverpool to New Brighton and Liverpool to Ellesmere Port - which are served by 34 stations between them.
The Wirral Line has been known by this name since it was officially opened by H.M Queen Elisabeth II on the 25th of October 1978.
The line's 1,435mm standard gauge track is electrified by way of a 750 v DC third line which became a fully electrified system in May 1994.
The Wirral Line links the Wirral Peninsula with Liverpool City centre by way of the Liverpool Loop, a clockwise circular rail route built in the early 1970's.
The Wirral Line is connected to the country's mainline National Rail system by way of connections at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester.
The system uses Class 507 and Class 508 rolling stock which can attain speeds of up to sixty miles an hour.
The Wirral Line system is operational seven days a week from approximately 06.00 - 24.000 hrs. The line runs trains every 15 minutes during daytime, every five minutes during rush hour and every half an hour in the evenings and on Sundays.
For timetables, rail information and various ticket types please refer to Merseyrail's informative website - www.merseyrail.org.
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| The Wirral Line is highlighted in green. |
