Liverpool Lime Street Railway Station

Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station complex located on Lime Street in Liverpool city centre. Although publicly a single, unified station, it is operationally divided into two official railway stations: Liverpool Lime Street High Level, the main station serving the city centre of Liverpool and the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world; and Liverpool Lime Street Low Level, an underground Wirral line station (part of the Merseyrail network) connected to the main terminal building by a pedestrian subway below street-level. Despite their operational distinctions, both stations are integrated from a passenger perspective, sharing signage, access points and overall station identity. Lime Street High Level is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, while Lime Street Low Level is managed directly by the train operator, Merseyrail.

A branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston terminates at Lime Street, as does the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Journeys from the station cover a wide range of destinations across England, Scotland and Wales.

The station building was designed by John Cunningham, Arthur Holme and John Foster Jr and built by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to replace their existing terminus, Crown Street railway station, which was deemed to be too far from the city centre – construction beginning in October 1833 and the station opening in August 1836. Due to growing popularity, the station was later expanded by Joseph Locke and others in 1849 and again by William Baker and Francis Stevenson in 1867, which included the construction of the world’s largest arched train shed at the time as well as a second train shed being added in 1879.

Following nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Lime Street station saw various upgrades, including improved signalling, a redeveloped concourse and new retail and office space. Electric rail services to Crewe began in 1962, followed by the station’s first InterCity service to London in 1966. In the 1970s, with the commencement of Merseyrail Wirral line services to Lime Street Low Level and the closure of all other long-distance termini in Liverpool, Lime Street became the city’s main rail hub. The Pendolino service was launched in the station by Virgin Trains at a ceremonial unveiling in 2003, improving travel times to London; and full electrification of the Liverpool and Manchester railway's former route was completed in May 2015.

The station is fronted by the former North Western Hotel, a large Renaissance Revival style building, which has been the Radisson Red Liverpool Hotel since December 2022; and the Concourse House office block with several retailers stood outside the southern train shed from the 1960s until their demolition in 2010. Lime Street is the largest and oldest railway station in Liverpool, being awarded 5 stars in Britain’s 100 Best Railway Stations by Simon Jenkins, one of only ten to achieve this.