Update on Anfield stadium train station plan as area 'priority for rapid transit'

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Echo or go back to LFC Live.

Pressure to open a station has existed for years, but Liverpool FC's home ground expansion has increased calls for better public transportThere are fresh hopes a new train station could be opened in Anfield, more than seven years after officials said they were exploring plans to upgrade transport links in the area. This included the potential for new rail infrastructure projects, designed to improve travel to-and-from Anfield, and to serve Liverpool FC's stadium during match days.In December 2019, the Liverpool ECHO reported on the possibility of a new Anfield train station, but since then, there has been no further updates on the proposal.Pressure to open a station has existed for years, but Liverpool FC plans to expand its home ground increased calls for better public transport around the stadium.Following the completion of the £80m Anfield Road Stand, LFC's home ground now has a 61,000 seat capacity, which has bolstered the rationale for improved transport infrastructure, including rail upgrades and a new station.Mayor Steve Rotheram told the ECHO in October 2019 he was 'optimistic' a new train station, serving Anfield football stadium, could be delivered, and confirmed the combined authority would start work to establish how the Bootle branch line could be reopened, as well as the costs of doing so.Since then, Mayor Rotheram, as part of the government's continued devolution plans, no has a range of powers, and the authority to direct the region's transport plans, and associated infrastructure projects.

The closest train stations to the ground are currently Bank Hall and Kirkdale, but both are around a 30 minute walk from the stadium.If the Bootle Branch line was to be reopened, it would mean the nearest, and seemingly most viable option for a new Anfield train station, would be the old Breck Road station, previously located on the London & North Western Railway’s Canada Dock branch, and on the north side of Townsend Lane.Breck Road Station opened in 1870, and closed more than seventy years later on 31 May 1948. By 2017 the only trace of the station appeared to be a bricked-up entrance at street level, but it's believed freight trains still pass through the station site, and over the bridge.The ECHO reached out to Liverpool City Council and Merseyrail, but were told all updates about the proposals are being handled by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).Responding to questions about the possibility of reopening Breck Road Station, providing a rail link to Anfield Stadium, and previous reports which indicated the plan would be progressed, a spokesperson for LCRCA provided us with an update.The spokesperson said: “Transport planning for the Anfield area has developed significantly in recent years, with a focus on delivering the most effective and future-proof solutions for the area.“As part of this, Anfield has been identified as one of the key priority corridors for the Liverpool City Region’s proposed rapid transit network, and this is now the primary focus for improving connectivity.“We are also continuing to progress a number of rail expansion projects across the region, including Liverpool Baltic, Carr Mill, Daresbury and Woodchurch.”