Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has defended the rising cost of the long-delayed Liverpool Baltic station and confirmed that a contractor has been appointed. The scheme, originally granted planning permission in 2025, now requires £160m to build, up from an initial £96m package from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). City Region leaders approved the increased funding last week.
Cost increases and funding breakdown
When the station was first proposed in 2022, it was hoped it would cost around £80m and be completed by 2025. After plans were approved last year, the expected cost rose to closer to £100m, with work hoped to start by the end of 2025 and finish in late 2027.
CA leaders last week approved capital funding of £144.4m for the station build itself and £15.7m for associated highway works. Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Mr Rotheram said “the business case stacks up enormously and it’s much better than any of the stations we’ve got.”
Rotheram's defence and contractor appointment
Mr Rotheram explained that the increased budget includes contingency and funds discussed with Network Rail to cover potential construction inflation. He noted that the project includes infrastructure such as roadworks and cycleways, which contributed to the higher cost.
He said: “Not all of that is project cost, we’ve built in a contingency and we’ve got some monies which we’ve spoken to Network Rail about, in case there are increases because of construction inflation, so we’ve built all those things into it.” He added: “You’re right, ultimately it’s costing us more than it was originally going to cost us but we’ve included infrastructure in this one, so all of the roadworks and cycle ways and all of that sort of stuff, but it’s still gone up.”
Mr Rotheram confirmed that work will be delivered by Network Rail’s preferred contractor, Swedish firm Skanska. He said the CA could not appoint its own contractor without Network Rail being “bought off.”
Timeline for site works
The Metro Mayor also announced when movement would begin on land at the old St James Station. He said: “I hope the hoarding goes up in the first quarter of 2027.” He explained that the land would be sectioned off, with engineering works scheduled to follow, though trains will continue running live through the cut during the work.
Mr Rotheram said the CA and Network Rail had reviewed costings “line by line” over the past six months. He added: “We believe it’s a good, not just an estimate, but a very good representation of what we need to do.”
