Central Underground Station
| Rail System |
| Merseyrail electric hybrid metro/commuter rail |
| Lines |
| Northern Line, Wirral Line |
| Location |
| Entrances on Bold Street, Ranelagh Street, through Lewis's |
| Hours |
| 15 minutes before and after the first andlast trains |
| Website |
| Merseyrail |
| Established |
| 1874 as a high level station. 1890 Low Level addition |
| Payment Method |
| Cash, charge, etc |
Entrance to Liverpool Central Station on Bold Street Liverpool Central Station is an underground station, a part of the Merseyrail metro system connecting the Northern Line and Wirral Lines. A shopping centre is currently over the station.
The station is scheduled for a major refurbishment with the seven acre Liverpool Central Village being built over the station. Network Rail stated that the station is the busiest underground station outside London, with 15 million people passing through each year. This is predicted to rise to over 17 million over the next few years. This increase in passenger volume will entail an additional platform.
To gain a greater throughput of trains and passengers, there are suggestions to move the station north along the Northern Line Tunnel under Church Street, with the bonus of giving an exit to the Liverpool One shopping complex. The ticketing area refurbishment for the station is scheduled for June 2009.
The Liverpool Central Station uses automatic ticket barriers. Ticket agents are on hand 15 minutes before and after the first and last trains with automatic ticket machines are available.
History
The original ground level station, opened in 1874, being the Liverpool terminal of the Cheshire Lines Committee line to Manchester Central. A three-floor terminal building fronted Ranelagh Street, with a 20 metre high, arched glazed railway shed behind. The station had 6 platforms, with services to Manchester Central taking an impressive 45 minutes. Long distance services were run to London, Hull, Stockport, Harwich and others destinations. A service was also available to Southport, first running south then around the east of Liverpool to the north. In 1892 Liverpool Central Low Level underground station opened, being the terminal of the Mersey Railway from Birkenhead.
The station was busy until the Beeching plans in the early 1960's, when it was determined that all long distance routes to and from Merseyside will be be run from Lime Street Station station with Merseyrail metro servicing Lime Street Station from all Merseyside. This meant closing terminal stations: Liverpool Central High Level, Liverpool Exchange, Liverpool Riverside and Birkenhead Woodside station. By 1966, one service remained at Liverpool Central High Level, a local service to Gateacre. This service was withdrawn in 1972 with the large High Level terminal station being demolished in 1973. The high level station is the site of the Liverpool Central Village development.
In the 1970s, the Merseyrail metro system was created. Central underground station was expanded. The Wirral Line and Northern Line run through the station. This entailed a new deep-level underground platform being built to cater for the Wirral Line.
Links
Merseyrail Central Station Liverpool Central Village Lewis's
