Liverpool City Region Secures Full Planning Approval for £100 Million Baltic Station on Merseyrail Northern Line

Landmark £100M Rail Hub Reopens Historic Rail Corridor After More Than a Century

LIVERPOOL, Merseyside — In a monumental achievement for public transportation and urban regeneration across northwestern England, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), led by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, and Liverpool City Council have formally secured comprehensive planning permission for the landmark £100 million Liverpool Baltic station scheme. Situated on the site of the former St James Station—which closed its gates to passengers in 1917—the new subterranean station will be carved into a deep sandstone cutting along the Merseyrail Northern Line between Liverpool Central and Brunswick stations.

Backed by a dedicated £96 million capital funding allocation secured through the UK Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), the project anchors Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s flagship "Merseyrail for All" agenda. The new station delivers dedicated rapid transit connectivity directly into the vibrant Baltic Triangle—widely recognized as one of the UK’s fastest-growing creative, digital technology, and cultural hubs—and adjacent residential communities in Toxteth.

World-Class Universal Accessibility and Modern Station Architecture

Engineered to meet 21st-century universal accessibility standards, Liverpool Baltic station introduces architecturally striking civic infrastructure designed to seamlessly serve thousands of daily commuters and visitors:

• Step-Free Passenger Access: Fully accessible step-free access from street level to deep-cut train platforms via dual high-capacity glass passenger lifts and modern stairwells.
• Modern Surface Concourse: A contemporary glazed street-level entrance pavilion featuring integrated ticketing facilities, automated barrier gates, and comfortable customer service areas.
• Dedicated Active Travel Hub: Secure multi-bay cycle storage, outdoor public seating plazas, and pedestrian walkways linking directly into the Liverpool Baltic Triangle active travel network.
• Platform Upgrades & Passenger Comfort: Extended covered platform canopies, weather-protected waiting shelters, digital real-time journey displays, and accessible restroom amenities.

Integration with Next-Generation Stadler Class 777 Battery-Electric Fleet

Liverpool Baltic station is designed to integrate flawlessly with Merseyrail’s state-of-the-art £500 million fleet of 53 Stadler Class 777 electric trainsets. Among the most advanced commuter rail fleets in the United Kingdom, the Class 777 trains feature innovative Battery-Electric Multiple Unit (BEMU) technology that allows trainsets to operate seamlessly beyond the traditional 750V DC third-rail network onto non-electrified track corridors.

The trains feature intelligent level-boarding sliding step ramps that bridge the gap between platform and train at every doorway, open-gangway walk-through carriages, high-speed Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, and advanced regenerative braking systems that return electricity back to the local grid during deceleration.

Accelerating Net-Zero Targets and Driving Creative Quarter Regeneration

Transportation planners estimate that Liverpool Baltic station will remove thousands of private vehicle trips every week from the heavily congested St James Street and Parliament Street corridors, directly supporting the Liverpool City Region’s legally binding target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.

By connecting Toxteth and the creative Baltic district directly to Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool John Lennon Airport bus links, and Wirral Line services, the station marks an indispensable milestone in building an integrated, London-style public transit system across Greater Liverpool.