New images have been released showing how huge plans could transform Liverpool Central Station.
Today Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram joined his Greater Manchester counterpart, Andy Burnham, to outline a vision for ‘transformational investment’ in the North West’s two largest city regions. Mayors are setting up a new Liverpool-Manchester Rail Board in a bid to maximize the economic and social benefits of a proposed new high-speed rail link between the two cities.
Speaking at an event in Leeds, the mayors outlined the government’s preferred investment options, which come after positive talks with Rail Minister Huw Merriman. The vision includes investment in city center stations, including plans for Manchester Piccadilly Underground Station and a revamped Liverpool Central Station.
MORE: A vision for a new Liverpool City Center transport hub with an extended mainline station and an underground link to Lime Street
MORE:
Mayors have previously spoken of their optimism for a new high-speed rail link between Manchester and Liverpool, via Warrington and Manchester Airport. The government has pledged £12bn for the project.
Speaking today, Mr Burnham said he believed a total of £17bn was on the table from the government for this after scrapping the northern leg of HS2. But he said more money would be needed to deliver the full regeneration vision for Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Central.
It is hoped that under the new plans journeys between the new Liverpool Central Station and Manchester Airport could take just 25 minutes.
The ECHO previously reported ambitions for a major new transport hub in central Liverpool as part of plans for a new high-speed line between the two cities.
City region leaders want to redevelop current city center hubs to accommodate new high-speed lines and to address network capacity issues at Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central Merseyrail station – one of the country’s busiest rail hubs.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) has already advertised for a strategic partner to work with it on a regeneration plan for the area around Liverpool Central with two clear imperatives. Today we saw for the first time what that regeneration plan could look like.
CA wants to address capacity issues at very busy Liverpool Central, while also creating a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to redefine the wider area around the station and deliver ‘place-based transformational regeneration’.
The area – including Renshaw Street and Ranelagh Street – is seen as a potential main gateway between the city center and the growing Knowledge Quarter which includes the city’s universities, the new Royal Liverpool Hospital and the landmark Knowledge Quarter development.
The ECHO understands the so-called ‘dream’ vision for city region leaders is to create an expanded Liverpool Central station and associated wider gateway development, but connect to Lime Street, potentially via an underground tunnel.
Leaders have looked to stations such as King’s Cross St Pancras transport and Euston hub in London for inspiration in terms of linking underground services to an overground station, both local and national.
There is also a belief that the expanded switchboard could potentially take some regional services away from Lime Street, freeing up the main station for the Northern Powerhouse fast lines promised by the government.
The Liverpool Daily Post covers the biggest stories on Merseyside