Crewe–Liverpool line

Crewe–Liverpool
	London Midland Class 350 at Liverpool.
Overview
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Liverpool; Crewe; Merseyside; Cheshire; North West England;
Service
Operator(s)	East Midlands Railway; London Northwestern Railway; Northern; TransPennine Express; Avanti West Coast;
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map
	Wirral line
	to Moorfields
	Wirral line
	to Liverpool Central
	L&MR Liverpool–Manchester line
	to Liverpool Road
	Garston and Liverpool Railway
	to Liverpool Central
	Liverpool South Parkway (Allerton)
	(for John Lennon Airport)
	CLC Liverpool–Manchester line
	to Manchester Central
	Jaguar Land Rover
	Halewood Body & Assembly
	St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
	to Runcorn
	Runcorn Railway Bridge
	over River Mersey
	Halton Curve
	to Frodsham
	Chester–Warrington line
	through Sutton Tunnel
	West Coast Main Line
	to Warrington Bank Quay
	Dutton Viaduct
	over River Weaver
	West Coast Main Line
	to Birmingham

The Crewe–Liverpool line is a railway line in North West England that diverges from the West Coast Main Line at Weaver Junction 16 miles 53 chains (26.8 km) north of Crewe and runs to Liverpool Lime Street via Runcorn.

History

The line was built in stages by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway and the London and North Western Railway during the mid-19th century. The route became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, passing to the London Midland Region of British Railways in 1948.

Electrification

The line was electrified at 25 kV AC, using overhead wires under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan. In 1959, preparations began at Liverpool Lime Street for the first stage of electrification of the West Coast Main Line.[1] On 1 January 1962, electric services between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe officially began.[2]

Signalling

Re-signalling work from Liverpool to Weaver Junction was underway in 2016. Signal control will move to the Manchester rail operating centre removing five local signal boxes. The signal improvements will improve journey times on this section of track.[3]

Services

Services along the full length of the line are operated by Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway, with East Midlands Railway, Northern and TransPennine Express operating between Liverpool South Parkway and Lime Street, a section which is shared by the Liverpool–Manchester lines.

References

Cadwallader & Jenkins 2010, p. 55
Cadwallader & Jenkins 2010, p. 56
"£340m railway upgrade planned for Liverpool City Region". Network Rail. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.

Sources

Cadwallader, Jonathan; Jenkins, Martin (2010). Merseyside Electrics. Ian Allan. ISBN 9780711034174. OCLC 455806364.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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[1] Cadwallader & Jenkins 2010, p. 55

[2] Cadwallader & Jenkins 2010, p. 56

[3] "£340m railway upgrade planned for Liverpool City Region". Network Rail. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.