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Liverpool Central To Edge Hill Link
Liverpool Central underground is always in talks to be connected to Edge Hill so northern lines and Wirral lines can connect to the city lines, the way this would happen is by using the currently disused tunnels running under Liverpool to Edge Hill, the Waterloo tunnel and Wapping tunnel, back in the 1970s a link started towards the Wapping Tunnel but was left uncompleted, there is still talks of this plan if the funding it available.
Huskisson To Liverpool Central Link
There was always a plan to connect the north Liverpool extension branch at Huskisson to the city center but it was never attempted, the link was in talks to go to Liverpool Central more than Exchange station and would be underground. Obvious this will never happen now.
Other Kirkdale Station Platforms
Kirkdale station originally had 10 lines running through its site now there are only 2 passenger lines and 2 goods lines, the 2 passenger lines are for the Merseyrail northern line and the 2 good lines are for the Canada dock branch that runs deep in a cutting under Kirkdale station. but there was once talk of giving passengers access to the Canada dock branch at Kirkdale by adding new platforms in the cutting and adding stairs it is unknown if this was started but it was never finished. The north Liverpool extension branch also ran through Kirkdale station and there were talks of adding platforms but this was never done due to Huskisson closing to passengers after just 6 years in 1886. There were also 2 fast lines that ran through Kirkdale station from exchange station but platforms at Kirkdale where not needed for this line, there is one other line for the depot.
Runcorn Railway Bridge Walk Way
Opened on 1st Feb 1868 persons using the bridge would have accessed it from Viaduct Street on the Widnes side or Lord Street on the Runcorn side. Originally a ticket booth was located on both sides of the River Mersey. On the Widnes side of the bridge it was adjacent to Viaduct Street and it consisted of a simple wooden structure that provided basic shelter for the ticket seller. On the Runcorn side the booth was located in Lord Street at the bottom of the access steps that led up to the bridge. It was also a wooden structure. In later years tickets were only sold on the Widnes side. Persons wishing to cross from Widnes to Runcorn purchased their tickets before they went onto the footpath but people coming in the other direction paid their fare after they had already crossed the bridge.
On the Widnes side the footpath climbed up to the same level as the railway line by means of a slope set into an embankment. At the top of the embankment the footpath moved onto a supported walkway paved in stone, which was attached to the approach viaduct on its east side. A wall divided the footpath from the railway tracks. The supported footway led onto the actual bridge. It passed through each of the support pillars via a castle style doorway. The footpath was on the outside of the girder spans again on the east side of the bridge. At this point the footpath surface was of timber construction.
From the Runcorn side the footpath climbed up to the same level as the railway line by means of stone steps located on four archways from the start of the girder spans.
From the first day of opening the footpath was used by hundreds of people every day who each paid one penny, The new road bridge was provided with pedestrian footpaths that would be free to use. The new bridge opened on the 21st July 1961. Because of this tolls for using the footpath were been withdrawn in 1962 and staff, who manned the booth, were taken away from the bridge. Even though the new road bridge was available for the public to use people continued to use the railway bridge footpath. A census taken in July 1962, only one year after the opening of the road bridge, between 9.00 a.m. and 9.30 p.m recorded 152 pedestrians using the railway bridge footpath from Widnes to Runcorn and 70 in the reverse direction. Without a staff presence problems occurred on the Ethelfleda Bridge footpath including the throwing of stones and bottles by youths which caused a great deal of annoyance to householders in the West Bank district of Widnes. British Railways were very keen to close the footpath and they did this in 1965 through legal process which was contained in the British Railways Act of 1965.
Today the Ethelfleda Bridge is still doing the main job that it was constructed to do, carrying trains between Liverpool and the South. The footpath is still extant but is now only used for maintenance access purposes. In 2004 Network Rail restored the section of footpath on the Widnes side that runs adjacent to the approach viaduct and in 2009 they cleaned and repainted the bridge restoring it to its former splendor.
New Merseyrail Circle Line
For years Liverpool has been in need of a circle line that would link the Northern, Wirral and City lines together and cover areas of the city that currently dont have any rail connections, such as Anfield Stadium and the new Paddington Village.
Version 1
The plan along the whole proposed route for the new Merseyrail circle line, this option bypasses Bank Hall and Bootle Oriel Road station and instead the line drops down at Kirkdale to reach the lower track level the circle line runs on, this option would be a higher cost but would remove the need for a reversing at Bootle Oriel Road.
STATIONS ON THE NEW CIRCLE LINE VERSION 1:
Kirkdale (Northern Line Connection)
Spellow
Anfield
Breck Road
Tuebrook
Stanley
Edge Lane
Wavertree Technology Park (City Line Connection)
Edge Hill (City Line Connection)
Paddington Lime Street (City & Wirral Line Connections)
Scotland Road (Wirral Line Connection)
Liverpool Waters (Northern Line Connection)
Vauxhall (Northern Line Connection)
Sandhills (Northern Line Connection)
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Version 2
The plan along the whole proposed route for the new Merseyrail circle line, this option includes Bank Hall and Bootle Oriel Road stations, this option would have lower costs than option 1 as it would remove the need to construct a link at kirkdale.
STATIONS ON THE NEW CIRCLE LINE VERSION 2:
Bootle Oriel Road (Northern Line Connection)
Kirkdale (Northern Line Connection)
Spellow
Anfield
Breck Road
Tuebrook
Stanley
Edge Lane
Wavertree Technology Park (City Line Connection)
Edge Hill (City Line Connection)
Paddington Lime Street (City & Wirral Line Connections)
Scotland Road (Wirral Line Connection)
Liverpool Waters (Northern Line Connection)
Vauxhall (Northern Line Connection)
Sandhills (Northern Line Connection)
Bank Hall (Northern Line Connection)
Ghosts & Deaths
Liverpool has its fair share of well known hauntings and deaths at various stations over the years and some stations have been the site of horrific accidents that have left their mark, below is a list of stations and their tales:
St James - This underground station is between the current Liverpool Central and Brunswick station on the Northern Line and its been closed and disused since 1917. The station has had many ghostly sighting from passing trains and strange occurrences from near by businesses, over the years from when it opened back in 1875 till 1917 when it closed many accidents took place at the station and many people died on the station site, most in the 1913 crash, people have claimed to see soldiers on the platform and heard screems and crashing.
Dingle - This station closed back in 1956 and was part of the Liverpool Overhead Railway and is the only remaining part of the railway but is now left abandoned. The station site which is all underground is described by many people to have a sad atmosphere and many have reported strange occurrences and sightings. Back in 1901 a devastating accident took place on one wet and windy christmas eve when one of the last trains of the night came towards the station it caught fire and drafted by the tunnels wind engulfed the train and the station and it all went up in flames underground and 6 people burnt alive down there unable to escape due to the station being closed for the night..
James Street - There has been many deaths over the years the most resent in 2011 and many people have described the station to have atmosphere, people has reported a ghost of a solider on the platforms. On 25/6/1899 the mutilated body of 53 year old Frederick Marsden was found at James Street station. A inquest returned an open verdict as nobody saw him jump, be pushed or fall.
Otterspool - This station was between the current St Michaels station and Aigburth station and was never used much and in 1951 just before the station closed a teenager was saved by a man who was station staff but he was hit by the train and killed and it has been reported by many that is ghost has been seen waving a red warning flag.
Walton - This station originally called Walton Junction as been said by many to have a strange sad cold atmosphere almost evil said by some, the station is not used much as its down an ally and rice lane station is a few yards away, it was built on the site of an old grave yard and when the station was build back in 1849 the graves where disturbed, there has also been many accidents and deaths and train crashes over the years at the station site.
Ditton - Closed in 1994 but has always had a sad atmosphere and the station was hardly used, a big accident took place in 1912 where 50 people where injured and 15 killed.
Hodson - Now closed and never survived long as a passenger station and was mainly used by railway workers it was on the waterloo tunnel branch and was in a cutting and back in 1872 a worker was killed, and In 1899 a run away goods train ran down the Victoria tunnel and smashed into the station site and killed 2 men instantly this site is said to be haunted.
Bank Hall - The is one of the least used stations in Liverpool mostly due to being near the docks that have now declined and not many homes are in the area, the station has a very eerie atmosphere and many old traces of the original station are left, in 2001 a man fell off the platform and onto the live rail and died. And in 2008 a woman fell between the platform and train and was killed
Ainsdale - In 2004 69 year old man was thrown in front of the train as it approached the platform by his own son and died instantly. In 2015 a 37 year old man was hit by train.
Bootle Oriel Road - An 8 year old boy was electrocuted and died in 2003.
Bidston - A 13 year old girl in 2006 died after falling face first onto live rail.
Waterloo - In 2009 a man died after being hit by train, in 2013 a 17 year old boy was found dead on line, in 2011 a woman in her 60s was killed by train
Broadgreen - Currently the oldest still used passenger station in the world and has seen many tragedy’s and many sighting have been reported, On Christmas eve in 1873 a man was killed being hit by a train, in 1867 a newly married couple where both hit by a train and killed also a girl was hit a few months later and cut into pieces, in 1860 a man on a passing train hit a train waiting on the other platform and died instantly, In 2005 man committed suicide, In 2007 a 62yo woman jumped from the platform in front of a high speed train, in 2013 a man fell onto tracks.
Freshfield - In early 2002 a 17 year old boy was killed and in late 2002 a 20 year old was killed just yards from when the 17 year old boy was killed. In 2010 a man was hit by a train and someone also hit by a train in 2014. In 2015 a 22 year old woman was killed and 6 days later a 26 year old man. In 2017 a 42 year old man was killed after being hit by train
Maghull - In 2001 a man was killed after chasing some kids of the line.
Walton On The Hill - In 2012 a 20 year old man was killed by falling over 60 feet into the disused railway cutting just before the disused Walton On The Hill station site.
Seaforth & Litherland - An 18 year old boy killed being hit by train.
Kirkdale - In a 1941 air raid the station was hit and killed 2 people, a woman died of asthma attack on stairs in 1991.
Orrell Park - Teenage boy died of asthma attack in 1999.
Anfield - In the 1993 a 3 year old boy was cut in half by a good train after his killers left his body on the tracks at the disused station.
Rock Ferry - In 2008 an old woman was lying on the tracks and the train ran her over
St Michaels - An 8 year old girl killed by stepping on live rail in 2004.
Green Lane - In the 1920s a man was killed and many people have ran from the station after reporting seeing a ghostly figure with bright eyes appearing near the tunnel arch out of a fog, in 1926 a 11 year old girl was raped and murdered and the killer boarded a train many people have reported hearing a girls cries and seeing a girl appear and a man dressed in a hat and overcoat has been reported and even a similar shadow caught on cctv that matched the description of the killer, a 16 year old boy in 2011 stepped on live rail and 18 years on the same day his brother died.
Mossley Hill - In 2011 a man was killed after being hit by a train.
Lime Street - In 2012 a man jumped into one of the deep cuttings by Great Newton Street and landed on the tracks and was hit by a train. When the cuttings where being built many men died, Sightings of the ghost of Lime Street are said to go back hundreds or years. One of the more recent witnesses described the entity as being quite tall, though the legs could not be seen and was just a floating torso.
Hall Road - Many accidents have happened at this station and in 1905 there where 20 people that where killed in a train crash.
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Southport - Body of a man was found in 2016
New Brighton - In 2014 a man was hit and killed by train.
Brunswick - A person died in 1879 and also in 2014.
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Aintree - A lady in her 70s was killed in 2016
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Ford - In 1997 a 9 year old girl was left to die at the station site after being hit 28 times with a plank of wood by a 13 year old boy.
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Garston Dock - On 15th November 1959, a group of children were playing near the railway at Garston Dock Station. All of sudden, an ugly witch appeared and chased them, flying after them and screeching at the top of her voice. A boys gran told him it was Screeching Ginny, Ginny had fallen in love with a local boy, and put a spell on him to make him love her, but this was broken and the boy got engaged to someone else and Ginny was heartbroken, She followed him and his sweetheart to Garston Dock station, where she ran screeching onto the tracks and was hit by a train. Her ghost is said to still haunt Garston Dock Station even after it closed in 1947.
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