- North Liverpool Extension Line
-
North Liverpool Extension Line Legend
Halewood 
CLC mainline 
Hunts Cross 
Gateacre Childwall Roby 
Crosses LMR Broad Green Knotty Ash West Derby Clubmoor 
Fazakerley Junction Walton on the Hill 
Huskisson 
Langton Dock Branch 
Fazakerley 
Crosses LBR Rice Lane Warbreck Orrell Park Crosses LOPR Aintree 
Aintree Central SCLER 
The North Liverpool Extension Line is a now-disused railway line in Liverpool, England. The line was to be the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop. A line that circled the city.
Contents
History
The line was built by the Cheshire Lines Committee, branching from the Committee's Liverpool to Manchester line at Hunts Cross in the south of the city, running north skirting the eastern edge of Liverpool, finally arriving at the Walton Triangle junction. One line continued north to Aintree, another turned west through the Rice Lane to Kirkdale tunnel towards Liverpool Docks. Running alongside the already existsing LYR line before terminating at Huskisson railway station just after Sandhills railway station. A small line left Huskisson retracing the route North before turning towards the river and the Midland Railways Sandon Docks good station. The line opened between 1879 and 1880.
The Aintree branch was extended to Southport in 1884.
The route closed in stages. In 1960 the line closed to passengers between Aintree and Gateacre.
In 1972 passenger trains from Liverpool Central High Level to Gateacre were withdrawn. The Gateacre service was proposed to be reinstated in 1978, with the station being the terminus of the new Merseyrail Northern Line. However, this never materialised with the terminus being cut back to Hunts Cross station on the southern Liverpool to Manchester line. The line continued to carry freight being lifted in 1979. The trackbed of the main section of line now forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 62, the Trans Pennine Trail.
Route of line today.
Planned Reopening
Proposals existed to reopen and electrify the line and form the eastern section of the Liverpool Outer Loop Merseyrail city circle. This section would run from Hunts Cross to Gateacre continuing north onto Broad Green, which would then turn west into Liverpool city centre. Parliamentary approval for the plans was obtained in 1975. However, this never materialised.
The line is protected for future use.[1]
Route
A 1909 Map showing some of the lines to be reusedMain line
- Hunts Cross junction with CLC Liverpool to Manchester line.
- Gateacre 1 December 1879-15 April 1972.
- Childwall 1 December 1879-1 January 1931.
- Knotty Ash 1 December 1879-7 November 1960.
- West Derby 1 December 1879-7 November 1960.
- Clubmoor 14 April 1927-7 November 1960.
- Fazakerley South Junction.
- Fazakerley West Junction.
- Walton on the Hill Walton 1 December 1879-1 January 1918.
- Walton Tunnel No 41 (240 yd)
- Walton Tunnel No 42 (643 yd)
- Walton Tunnel No 43 (249 yd)
- Huskisson 13 July 1880-1 May 1886.
North branch
- Fazakerley South Junction.
- Fazakerley North Junction.
- Fazakerley Junction with the Midland Railway's Langton Dock Branch.
- Warbreck 1 August 1929-7 November 1960.
- Aintree Central Aintree 13 July 1880-7 November 1960.
- Southport Junction
- Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway
Plans
The Cheshire Lines Committee put forward several plans to connect railway lines to Liverpool Docks via the extension. One of these was the Liverpool, St Helens & South Lancashire Railway.
External links
References
Categories:- Historic transport in Merseyside
- Closed railway lines in North West England
- Cheshire Lines Committee Lines
- Railway lines opened in 1880
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