City Line to Northern Line Connection via Wapping Tunnel High Level Feasibility

Merseytravel is committed to the improvement of rail service levels and to improving connectivity across the Network within the Liverpool City Region and its connection to the wider travel to work area. A potential scheme identified as providing possible improvement is the construction of a new line to connect the City Line to the Northern Line. This connection will be from Edge Hill East Junction at the location of Wapping Sidings utilising the disused cutting through to the disused Wapping Tunnel. The route will continue through this disused tunnel with a new tunnel connection from this tunnel to the Northern Line with a connection into Liverpool Central Station. The project is at a conceptual stage and to progress this further Merseytravel needs to understand the feasibility of constructing this new line utilising the existing infrastructure wherever possible by bringing disused sections of infrastructure back into use. The possibility of constructing a new station at a suitable location along the proposed new line also has to be considered with possible locations either at Crown Street or Catherine Street as well as the potential for a new station in the cutting west of the existing Edge Hill Station. The services that could use this infrastructure would need to be identified and fully developed and this study will need to consider the number and destinations of services both on the City Line and the Northern Line northwards and the potential for dual voltage operation of the services. There is a continuous drive to strengthen public transport links into Liverpool from the Liverpool City Region and the wider travel to work area. This project to undertake a High Level Feasibility study into the possibility to develop the City Line to Northern Line Connection via the Wapping Tunnel is considered a potential strategic opportunity to develop rail links in the area supporting connectivity from areas to the east of Liverpool to the wider Liverpool City Region, the city itself and through to stations to Southport. No design work has been undertaken for this scheme and the concept design has to be developed and costed initially as part of this study. Merseytravel is currently developing a programme for the replacement of the current rolling stock which will operate on the Merseyrail network in the future. While the proposed future services will also be 3rd rail DC as per the current network, it is expected that the vehicles will have passive provision for AC overhead operation.