• New lifts to be installed at four Merseyrail stations
• Combined Authority to invest £9.5m in the scheme, remaining funding via Access for All
• It will mean 80% of city region stations will have step-free access from pavement to platform

The Liverpool City Region is on track to have the most accessible train network in the country with a further £19m set to be invested in improving accessibility at four stations.

New lifts will be installed at Aigburth, Port Sunlight, Rock Ferry and Walton to ensure the stations are step-free from pavement to platform

During his recent election campaign, the Mayor pledged to ensure all local rail stations are fully accessible by 2030, complementing the sliding step technology on the region’s new £500m publicly owned trains and making the Liverpool City Region home to the country’s most passenger friendly and accessible rail network.

Once the work is completed, 80% of the city region’s station will have step-free access for passengers with reduced mobility and those with bikes and prams, making the network the country’s most accessible.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“At its best public transport can be a great leveller, connecting people from all walks of life with jobs, opportunities and each other. Yet, for too long, our local rail network has not been designed around the needs of those who rely on it the most, leaving some of the most vulnerable in our communities cut off from their local stations.

“Since I was elected, we have invested tens of millions of pounds to improve step-free access across our train stations, which is why we are now one of the most accessible networks in the country – but I know there is still more work to be done.

“That is why I have pledged to make every station on our local rail network fully accessible by the end of the decade and this latest investment will take us one step closer to making that ambition a reality.

“From the £500m we have invested in our new fleet, to the tap-and-go ticketing we will be introducing soon – and the pipeline of new stations we are building – I want to ensure that everyone can benefit from the incredible transformation we are delivering across our local rail network.”

The total cost of the schemes will be approximately £19m with work taking place over the next few years. The Combined Authority is investing £9.5m into the scheme through its £1.6bn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) with a further £9.5m secured via Access for All (AfA) accessibility funding.

The upgrades are part of the Mayor’s vision to build an integrated London-style transport system that is quick, simple, affordable, and accessible to all.

Since he was elected in 2017 Mayor Rotheram has invested hundreds of millions of pounds to build two brand new, fully accessible train stations at Maghull North and Headbolt Lane in Kirkby, with work already underway to build the new £100m Liverpool Baltic station.

During his election campaign, Mayor Rotheram announced a pipeline of three more fully accessible train stations that will serve Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch on the Wirral and Daresbury in Halton, with work underway on all three by the end of the decade.

New lift installations have also taken place at Formby, Birkenhead North, Orrell Park, Meols, Birkenhead Park, Hunts Cross, Hillside and St Michael’s, with work currently taking place at Broad Green.

Once the Broad Green scheme is complete, 62 of the city region’s 83 railway stations will have step-free access to platform.