Moorfields railway station
Moorfields  | |
|---|---|
|
A Merseyrail Class 507 at the Wirral Line platform (before refurbishment) | |
| Location | |
| Place | Liverpool |
| Local authority | Liverpool |
| Coordinates | 53°24′31″N 2°59′21″W / 53.4086°N 2.9892°WCoordinates: 53°24′31″N 2°59′21″W / 53.4086°N 2.9892°W |
| Grid reference | SJ342907 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | MRF |
| Managed by | Merseyrail |
| Number of platforms | 3 |
| DfT category | D |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2004/05 | 0.309 million |
| 2005/06 |
 0.384 million |
| 2006/07 |
1.578 million |
| 2007/08 |
2.082 million |
| 2008/09 |
5.141 million |
| 2009/10 |
 4.455 million |
| 2010/11 |
4.637 million |
| 2011/12 |
6.363 million |
| – Interchange | 0.626 million |
| 2012/13 |
6.049 million |
| – Interchange |
0.628 million |
| 2013/14 |
6.541 million |
| – Interchange |
0.462 million |
| 2014/15 |
6.833 million |
| – Interchange |
0.501 million |
| Passenger Transport Executive | |
| PTE | Merseytravel |
| Zone | C1 |
| History | |
| Original company | London Midland Region of British Railways |
| 2 May 1977 | Low Level platforms opened |
| 30 October 1977 | Deep Level platform opened |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Moorfields from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
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Moorfields station is an underground railway station in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station is situated on both the Northern and Wirral Lines of the Merseyrail network. It is the third busiest station on the Merseyrail network, and the largest underground station. It is also the only station on the network having services to all other Merseyrail stations.
History
The station was built in the 1970s, as a replacement for Liverpool Exchange railway station, opening on 2 May 1977.[1] The station was opened by British Rail and is accessed via entrances at Moorfields and on the corner of Old Hall Street and Tithebarn Street. The Old Hall Street entrance is open from only 5.30am until 7pm on weekdays.
Services from the north had previously terminated at nearby Liverpool Exchange terminus station. The newly created north-south crossrail Northern Line runs through Moorfields. Liverpool Exchange was closed and the line extended underground to the new Moorfields station. The line from the north continued through a new tunnel to Liverpool Central, continuing south to terminate at Garston. The line was later extended to Hunts Cross and opened in 1983. At the same time, another new tunnel was built, carrying the Wirral Line in a loop from James Street via Moorfields, Lime Street, and Liverpool Central before returning to James Street; the Wirral Line platform opened on 30 October 1977.[1]
There are three platforms (two for the Northern Line and one for the Wirral Line) in two levels of tunnel. The Wirral Line platform is at a much deeper level to pass under the Queensway road tunnel
Passengers must, curiously for an underground station, go up an escalator from the Moorfields entrance to reach the ticket office - the station was originally intended to connect with a pedestrian walkway system, designed to separate pedestrians from traffic. Only a small section of the system was constructed in the 1970s and the scheme eventually fell by the wayside. From the ticket office, another escalator leads down to the main pedestrian tunnel which links the Northern and Wirral Line platforms and the Old Hall Street entrance.
The usage of the station Monday to Friday is much greater than the statistics show, since they credit "Liverpool" passengers to Lime Street station, and do not include day or season ticket holders. The station is however significantly quieter at weekends, since it is primarily used by people working in the business quarter and is less convenient for most of the city centre retail areas.
The ashes of Roy Vivian Hughes, the civil engineer who played a major part in the development of the Merseyrail system, are interred behind in a plaque on the wall of the main corridor.[2]
2015/16 Refurbishment
The station is being refurbished in 2015/16 as part of the £40 million investment from Network Rail to allow improvement works to take place at Merseyrail's underground stations, with the refurbishment of Moorfields costing £8 Million.[3] The refurbishment was to be done in three phases. The Wirral Line platform would close on 13 April 2015 until 2 August 2015. Northern Line Platform 2 would close on 3 August 2015 until 16 November 2015 and Northern Line Platform 1 would close on 4 January 2016 until 10 April 2016.[4]
On 17 July 2015, it was announced that Merseyrail had secured a further £4.4 million to replace 9 of the 15 escalators at the station. This, as well as the refurbishment of the Wirral Line being behind schedule caused the date for the Wirral Line's reopening date to be moved to 24 August 2015. The Refurbishment of Platform 2 was therefore pushed back to April 2016. The original scheduled closure for Platform 1 was unchanged.[5]
Platform 1 closed for refurbishment works on 4 January 2016 and reopened on 2 April 2016. Platform 2 closed for refurbishment works on 11 April 2016 and reopened on 23 July 2016.[6]
On 22 February 2016, the main entrance closed for maintenance work between 22 February 2016 and 28 March 2016.[7]
Recent History
On 22 October 2015, free WiFi was installed and introduced across most of the station. WiFi Around the Old Hall Street entrance is due to be installed in late 2015.[8]
On 21 March 2016. It was announced that the Wirral Line Loop will be having its track renewed. The Wirral Line platform is due to be closed between 3 January and 18 June 2017 whilst these works take place.[9]
Facilities
The first ever M to Go shop opened at the Old Hall Street entrance in 2006, acting as a combined snack shop/ticket counter, with another M to Go shop opened for the main entrance of the station in 2012.
Services
Both lines on the Merseyrail network; the Northern Line and the Wirral Line serve the station.
On the Northern Line, off-peak service level is as follows:
- 4 trains per hour to Southport
- 4 trains per hour to Ormskirk
- 4 trains per hour to Kirkby
- 12 trains per hour to Liverpool Central of which
- 4 trains per hour continue to Hunts Cross via Liverpool South Parkway
During late evenings, frequencies are reduced to 2 trains per hour on the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches; the Southport and Hunts Cross service retains 4 trains per hour until end of service.
Sunday services reflect the evening service, but the service from Southport to Hunts Cross is also reduced to 2 trains per hour on Sundays during the winter season. Services remain at 4 trains per hour on Sunday during the summer season.
On the Wirral Line, off-peak service level is as follows:
- 4 trains per hour to New Brighton
- 4 trains per hour to West Kirby
- 4 trains per hour to Chester
- 2 trains per hour to Ellesmere Port
There are also extra services between Liverpool Central and Hooton during peak times.
Northern Line Services use Platforms 1 and 2 at the station. Trains to Hunts Cross use Platform 1 and trains to Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby use Platform 2. All Wirral Line services depart from Platform 3.
See also
References
- 1 2 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 162. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ↑ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/look-behind-scenes-12m-moorfields-10924500
- ↑ "Merseyrail confirms Moorfields revamp". Place North West. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Moorfields Station Refurbishment Closures". Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ↑ Moorfields Station Refurbishment Update
- ↑ Platform 1 Closure
- ↑ Moorfields Main Entrance Closure
- ↑ Merseyrail Introduces WiFi at Five Underground Stations
- ↑ Wirral Track Renewal Jan - June 2017Merseyrail press release
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moorfields railway station. |
- Train times and station information for Moorfields railway station from National Rail
- Station information for Moorfields railway station from Merseyrail
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhills towards Southport, Ormskirk or Kirkby |
Merseyrail Northern Line |
Liverpool Central towards Liverpool Central or Hunts Cross | ||
| James Street (one-way operation) |
Merseyrail Wirral Line |
Liverpool Lime Street towards New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester or Ellesmere Port | ||
