Merseyrail

Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Lancashire and Cheshire in North West England. The network consists of two lines, the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which together serve 69 stations along 76 miles (122 km) of routes, of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. It uses Class 777 trains based on the Stadler METRO platform, which primarily operate on 750 V DC third rail electrified track. The network carried 29.9 million passengers in 2024/2025. Since 2003 the network has been run as a concession, held by a 50:50 joint venture between Serco and Transport UK Group (previously Abellio UK). Merseyrail was established in 1977, when existing railway lines were connected by constructing new tunnels under Liverpool city centre and Birkenhead. The network has since been expanded through the creation of new stations, the electrification of existing lines, and the use of trains capable of running on battery power; the last allow trains to reach Headbolt Lane despite the line leading to the station not being electrified.