Work is expected to begin on the construction of four new Merseyrail stations before 2030, with new updates issued on the progress of plans for all four.
Last week the ECHO revealed that for one of these newly planned stations, Liverpool Baltic, the costs have ballooned to £160m - around double the £80m that was first mooted when the project was first announced back in 2022. The new station will serve Liverpool's Baltic Triangle and will be created in an existing cutting of the network's Northern line between Brunswick Station and Liverpool Central - but the plans have been beset by delays and now spiralling costs.
Liverpool Baltic
Plans for the flagship new station on the edge of Liverpool city centre were approved by city council planners in April 2025, with the plans formally submitted by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) the previous November. But an investigation by the ECHO in January this year revealed that the project was significantly delayed. We reported that nine months on from the station being granted planning permission, the CA was yet to appoint a main contractor and that the project - which leaders had originally hoped would be completed by the end of next year - would be majorly delayed.
In a new report ahead of a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority meeting later this week, some progress was outlined - with construction due to start on the project early in the new year. But the report also revealed the soaring costs of the new station. Latest overall costs for the project are now set to be £144.4m for the station build itself and £15.7m for associated highway works - a total of £160m and double the initial estimates.
Daresbury
In Halton, work is underway to explore plans for a new station at Daresbury, with feasibility studies and an initial business case commissioned. Findings are expected in early 2027 to help shape the next steps. The proposals for this station were first revealed several years ago. It is aimed at providing a direct rail link to Sci-Tech Daresbury - a science and innovation campus near the village of Daresbury in Halton.
Carr Mill and Woodchurch
Carr Mill is an area to the north of St Helens which was previously served by a rail station which closed in 1917. St Helens Council and the Combined Authority have a long-standing ambition to reopen a railway serving this area. The new report reveals that initial plans and designs have now been completed for this project, with further development work planned alongside Network Rail, Northern and St Helens Council. It is hoped that the proposed station would improve rail connections for local communities, making it easier for residents to reach jobs and education.
The fourth proposed new station on the Merseyrail network is for a station to serve the Woodchurch area of Wirral between Upton and Heswell on the Borderlands Line. Of the four new stations, the project serving Woodchurch on the Wirral is at the earliest stage, with development work at an early stage. The report states that findings from this exploratory work are expected to be reported back early in 2027.
The progress report on the new stations - including the additional required funding for Liverpool Baltic - is expected to be agreed at the Liverpool Combined Authority meeting on Friday.
