"Merseyside's new railways" leaflet : British Rail and Merseyside PTE - Merseyrail : Liverpool UK
In the late 1960s, around the time the Transport Act of 1968 was being implemented along with various PTAs and PTEs, there was a flurry of activity in Liverpool, backed by the City Council, to develop a transport strategy for the city and the soon to be formed Metropolitan County of Merseyside. One key component of this was the development of sections of underground railways in Liverpool city centre that was designed to utilise existing, mostly third rail electrified, railways that would allow for two main outcomes.
Firstly, better penetration of the central area than the existing lines could offer - most notably in the case of Exchange station that was arguably on the northern fringe of the centre by building the 'Link' line from Moorfields through Central and on to the Garston lines. This cleverly made use of some tunnel sections that the 'Loop' line would free up as we shall see.
Secondly to improve capacity on the existing 'Wirral lines' that, using the original Mersey railway tunnel, terminated in a reversing tunnel at Central station. This was to be achieved by a single line 'loop' via Moorfields, Lime St and back to Central, that allowed 'through running' as well as better connections and that was complemented by a new birrowing junction to segregate the running lines under Birkenhead at Hamilton Square.
Backed by the DoE and the PTE the British Railways Board undertook the works for both schemes and work started in c1972 and mostly completed by 1977. Sadly, two other components of the wider scheme, the Edge Hill spur and the Outer Loop railway, were cancelled leaving just the third rail operated Wirral and Northern lines of today - with the City line out on something of a limb in many senses.
The network created by these works has been expanded, with some extensions and new stations, although some of the wider ambitions seen in these three publications are still discussed to this day.
This is the 'glossy' "Merseyside's new railways" that is undated but that I suspect I picked up c1975. Nor only does it show the main components of the scheme but it also, interestingly, gives some indication of the look and feel of the new tunnelled underground stations and platforms, along with an appearance of potential new rolling stock that looks a bit like the BR "PEP prototype units. The propsoed architectural finishes are very 'of their time' but show possible use of BR's 'corporate identity' in new sub-surface stations.
This leaflet was issued by BR and Merseyside Transport.
"Merseyside's new railways" leaflet : British Rail and Merseyside PTE - Merseyrail : Liverpool UK
In the late 1960s, around the time the Transport Act of 1968 was being implemented along with various PTAs and PTEs, there was a flurry of activity in Liverpool, backed by the City Council, to develop a transport strategy for the city and the soon to be formed Metropolitan County of Merseyside. One key component of this was the development of sections of underground railways in Liverpool city centre that was designed to utilise existing, mostly third rail electrified, railways that would allow for two main outcomes.
Firstly, better penetration of the central area than the existing lines could offer - most notably in the case of Exchange station that was arguably on the northern fringe of the centre by building the 'Link' line from Moorfields through Central and on to the Garston lines. This cleverly made use of some tunnel sections that the 'Loop' line would free up as we shall see.
Secondly to improve capacity on the existing 'Wirral lines' that, using the original Mersey railway tunnel, terminated in a reversing tunnel at Central station. This was to be achieved by a single line 'loop' via Moorfields, Lime St and back to Central, that allowed 'through running' as well as better connections and that was complemented by a new birrowing junction to segregate the running lines under Birkenhead at Hamilton Square.
Backed by the DoE and the PTE the British Railways Board undertook the works for both schemes and work started in c1972 and mostly completed by 1977. Sadly, two other components of the wider scheme, the Edge Hill spur and the Outer Loop railway, were cancelled leaving just the third rail operated Wirral and Northern lines of today - with the City line out on something of a limb in many senses.
The network created by these works has been expanded, with some extensions and new stations, although some of the wider ambitions seen in these three publications are still discussed to this day.
This is the 'glossy' "Merseyside's new railways" that is undated but that I suspect I picked up c1975. Nor only does it show the main components of the scheme but it also, interestingly, gives some indication of the look and feel of the new tunnelled underground stations and platforms, along with an appearance of potential new rolling stock that looks a bit like the BR "PEP prototype units. The propsoed architectural finishes are very 'of their time' but show possible use of BR's 'corporate identity' in new sub-surface stations.
This leaflet was issued by BR and Merseyside Transport.