A Class 508 EMU on a Wirral line service at Liverpool Central prior to redevelopment.
Overview
Status
Operational
Owner
Network Rail
Locale
Merseyside & Cheshire, North West England
Termini
Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton, West Kirby
Stations
34
Service
Type
Commuter rail
System
National Rail
Operator(s)
Merseyrail[1]
Depot(s)
Birkenhead North TMD
Rolling stock
Class 777 Class 507
Technical
Line length
33 miles 46 chains (54.0 km)[2]
Number of tracks
Two (One through loop tunnel)[2]
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Loading gauge
W6[3]
Electrification
750 V DC third rail[4]
Operating speed
70 mph (110 km/h) maximum[2][3][5][6]
Route map
(Click to expand)
v
t
e
Wirral line
Legend
Birkenhead Railway
to Hooton
West Kirby
Station Road
Hoylake
Manor Road
Meols
Carr Lane
Moreton
New Brighton
Leasowe
Warren
Reeds Lane
Wallasey Grove Road
M53
Wallasey Village
Borderlands line
to Wrexham Central
M53
Bidston
Seacombe & Egremont
Liscard and Poulton
The Birket
Birkenhead North TMD
Birkenhead Dock Branch
Birkenhead North
Birkenhead Woodside
Birkenhead Park
Monks Ferry
Birkenhead Town
Conway Park
Birkenhead Mollington
Street TMD
Birkenhead
Hamilton Square
Mersey Railway Tunnel
under River Mersey
Birkenhead Central
James Street
Liverpool Central
Moorfields
Northern line
to Hunts Cross
Northern line
to Southport/Ormskirk/Kirkby
Liverpool Lime Street
clockwise only through loop
Green Lane
Tranmere
Rock Ferry
Rock Lane
Bebington
Port Sunlight
Spital
Bromborough Rake
Bromborough
Eastham Rake
M53
Hooton
Merseytravel limit
Birkenhead Railway
to West Kirby
Little Sutton
Ledsham
Overpool
Capenhurst
Eastham Oil Terminal
M56
Manisty Wharf
Mollington
Ellesmere Port
Shropshire Union Canal
Hooton–Helsby line
to Helsby
Upton-by-Chester
Bache
Chester–Warrington line
to Warrington Bank Quay
Mid-Cheshire line
to Stockport, Manchester
Chester & Connah's
Quay Railway
Mickle Trafford
to Shotton
to Holyhead
& Wrexham General
Chester
Chester Northgate
North Wales Coast Line
to Crewe
The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,[7] England, the other being the Northern line.
The Wirral line connects Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with branches to New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port.[8][9] Beneath Liverpool, the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single-track tunnel called the Loop, built in the early 1970s.[8][10]
The Wirral line has carried its present name since the opening of the Merseyrail network by Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978,[11] during the British Rail period. The Wirral line is fully electrified with a DC third rail,[8] and has existed in its current form since May 1994 with the start of electric services to Ellesmere Port.[12][13] A total of 34 stations are served, with connections available to mainline services at Liverpool Lime Street, Bidston, Ellesmere Port and Chester. The line also connects with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at Liverpool Central and Moorfields.[14]
^"Merseyrail - About Merseyrail". Merseyrail. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
^ abc"Network Capability – Baseline Declaration : (1) Line-speeds : (2) London North Western Route (North)" (PDF). Network Rail. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
^ ab"Merseyside Route Utilisation Strategy" (PDF). Network Rail. 25 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
^"04 - Current Capability" (PDF). Network Rail. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
^"Network Specification: London North West" (PDF). Route Plans. Network Rail. 13 June 2012. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
^"Route Specifications: London North West" (PDF). Route Plans. Network Rail. 29 September 2011. p. 326. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
^"Merseyrail A brief history" (PDF). Merseytravel. 25 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
^ abc"Merseyrail Trains". Rail Saver. Archived from the original on 4 October 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
^"Route Plan O - Merseyside" (PDF). Route Plans 2010. Network Rail. 30 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
^The Story of Merseyrail 1978, Construction.
^The Story of Merseyrail 1978, Her Majesty The Queen officially opened Merseyrail on Wednesday 25 October 1978.
^Wright, Paul (20 April 2010). "Hooton Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
^"Merseyrail Electrics". Railway Britain. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
^Merseyrail(PDF) (Map) (PG258a (11-09KF) ed.). Merseytravel. 16 December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
The Wirralline is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern line. The Wirral...
stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lines – the Northern Line and the WirralLine. The network uses 750 V DC third rail electrified lines having...
referred to in England as the Mid Wirralline as part of the line runs in the middle of the Wirral peninsula. The line is traditionally operated with Class...
Northern Line and the WirralLine since 1997, so work the following: Southport–Hunts Cross line Ormskirk line Kirkby line New Brighton line West Kirby line Chester...
The Wirral Peninsula (/ˈwɪrəl/), known locally as the Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about 15 miles...
Peninsula Wirralline, a commuter railway line in Wirral Peninsula This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Wirral. If an internal...
central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the WirralLine. The station is located underground on two levels, below the site...
route was from Birkenhead Park in the east of the Wirral to West Kirby in the west. A branch off this line at Bidston went north to Secombe and New Brighton...
River Mersey). The two parts are linked by the two Mersey Tunnels, the Wirralline of Merseyrail, and the Mersey Ferry. Merseyside contains green belt interspersed...
railway station is situated in the south of the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. It lies on the WirralLine 8 miles (13 km) north of Chester and 9+1⁄2...
The canal starts from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey traversing the Wirral peninsula to Chester. This stretch, which was completed in 1797, was originally...
Region. Area F covers the Northern line from Maghull to Ormskirk, whilst Area G covers the section of the Wirralline from Hooton to Ellesmere Port and...
Street; the WirralLine platform opened on 30 October 1977. There are three platforms (two for the Northern Line and one for the WirralLine) in two levels...
west-southwest. Bebington railway station opened in 1838 and is on the Wirralline of the Merseyrail network. The electoral ward, which includes the original...
station located in the centre of Liverpool, England; it is situated on the WirralLine of the Merseyrail network. James Street is an underground station, with...
the route are as follows: Crewe Chester Wirralline diverges to serve Birkenhead and Liverpool (Merseyrail) Line diverges to serve Wrexham, Shrewsbury and...
Kirby branch of the Wirralline, which is part of the Merseyrail network; it also serves as the northern terminus for the Borderlands line from Wrexham Central...
station is the terminus of the West Kirby branch line, which is one of the two branches of the WirralLine on the Merseyrail network. There is a central...
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west...
Hooton–Helsby line. Now all passenger services terminate at the station from both directions. It is both a terminus of the WirralLine, a commuter rail...
building has also provided direct access to the underground Lime Street WirralLine station on the Merseyrail network. Beginning in the 1960s, the Concourse...
is designated as a park and ride facility for railway services on the WirralLine, it contains a 418-space car park. Chester is the hub of the railway...
the Wirral; routes which latterly became known as the WirralLine of Merseyrail. In 1977, three six-car trains were transferred to the Northern Line. They...
currently a part of the Merseyrail network. It was extended further into the Wirral Peninsula, which lies on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool...
7 February 2023. "Conway Park station opens plus 'Smart' bus service". Wirral Globe. 24 June 1998. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved...
mainline use. Part of the railway is now used by the Chester branch of the WirralLine, one of the two urban electric commuter rail services operated by Merseyrail...
the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, on the Wirral Peninsula. Port Sunlight was...
Global Information
