Liverpool–Manchester lines
There once were four direct railway routes between Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England; only two remain, the two centre routes of the four. The most northerly and the most southerly of the four routes are no longer direct lines. Of the remaining two direct routes, the northern route of the two is fully electric, while the now southern route is a diesel-only line. The most northerly of the four has been split into two routes: the western section operated by Merseyrail electric trains and the eastern section by diesel trains, requiring passengers to change trains between the two cities. The fourth route, the most southerly of the four, has been largely abandoned east of Warrington; the remaining section caters mainly for freight trains.
| Liverpool to Manchester routes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Cheshire Greater Manchester Merseyside North West England | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 38 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | East Midlands Railway West Midlands Trains (London Northwestern Railway) Northern Trains Merseyrail TransPennine Express Transport for Wales Avanti West Coast | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 150 Sprinter Class 156 Super Sprinter Class 158 Express Sprinter Class 185 Desiro Class 195 Civity Class 197 Civity Class 222 Meridian (Limited) Class 323 Class 331 Civity Class 350 Desiro Class 390 Pendolino Class 397 Civity Class 802 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Number of tracks | Double-track | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | Mk1/Mk3/UK1 and Series 2 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE Lime Street - Liverpool South Parkway. Lime Street - Manchester Piccadilly Northern Route and also Manchester Victoria | ||
| |||
The remaining two direct routes are:
- The northern route (Chat Moss line) from Liverpool Lime Street terminus station via Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows and Lea Green to Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly. This line follows the route of the original 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
- The southern route (CLC line) from Liverpool Lime Street terminus via Warrington Central to Manchester Piccadilly operates on lines formerly owned by the Cheshire Lines Committee.