LIVERPOOL Lime Street station has reopened today, Monday, after a 23-day refurbishment

The transformation is the first part of its major upgrade. Almost 2,000 metres of track was laid, platforms were redesigned and lengthened and two new ones have been added to provide passengers with more seats on more trains in and out of the city.

The work will continue next year and, from 2019, will enable an extra three services per hour in and out of the city centre station, including new direct services to Scotland.

Network Rail says longer, better managed platforms will accommodate longer trains, helping to provide more space and seats for passengers.

Further work is planned during the Christmas period and summer 2018. This will include further signalling upgrades, including transferring the operation of the railway to a purpose-built, modern signalling centre in Manchester.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s London North Western route managing director, said: “Millions of pounds are being invested in the railway in the Liverpool City Region which is vital to boost the local economy and transform train travel for passengers.

“As part of our Great North Rail Project, the Liverpool Lime Street project will enable faster, more frequent and reliable train services to run in and out of the station by 2019.

“This work brings us one step closer to fulfil our aim of running hundreds more trains each day - more trains with more seats, running more quickly and reliably across the north of England.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added: “I look forward to next year when we will see the completion of this project which is a pivotal part of our ambitious plans to build a better railway for everyone.

“Alongside this we’ll be continuing to make the case for the north to get the infrastructure commitment and funding it deserves, not least full high-speed rail connections west-east, joining up north-south HS2 infrastructure with Northern Powerhouse Rail into Liverpool.”

Chris Nutton, major projects director at TransPennine Express, said on behalf of all operators using Liverpool Lime Street station: “The first phase of works are now complete, and I’m delighted that the joint plan that we put in place went well, allowing our customers to keep moving in and out of the city during these crucial works.

“Everyone is looking forward to seeing the completion of these works next year, which for TransPennine Express will mean that we can run longer trains with more carriages into the station, meaning more seats for customers. It will also enable us to introduce a brand new direct service from Liverpool to Glasgow in December 2018.”

For more information visit networkrail.co.uk/lcr