Could Liverpool finally get a Baltic rail station?
Liverpool City Region Combined AuthorityIt is almost 110 years since the last service ran through the former Liverpool St James' railway station.
But it may not be long before the city can mark the start of a new chapter for the long-abandoned site in what is now known as the Baltic Triangle area of the city.
Desire to resurrect a rail station has been around for more than a decade, with the reopening seen as vital to the success of the Baltic Triangle's development in 2012.
On Tuesday, Liverpool Council's planning committee will debate plans that would deliver a £100m new station providing about 17,000 journeys a day and for the first time in more than a century, the station could return - under a new name.
Where was it?
The former St James' stop sits between Brunswick and Liverpool Central.
Now the area is known as the Baltic Triangle - a former industrial area around Liverpool's Jamaica Street, which is now home to independent creative and digital businesses.
Why did it close?
The original station opened in 1874 and was named after a nearby parish church.
It closed during the World War One as a cost-cutting measure but never reopened.
Resurrection plans get on track
In March 2014, Merseytravel agreed to collaborate with Liverpool Vision to investigate the cost and projected usage of reopening the station.
By January 2015, Merseytravel confirmed plans to conduct a study on the station's potential reopening during the 2015–16 financial year with it marked as a "top rail project" by Merseyrail a year later.
There had been hopes the station could open as early as this year when formal plans for the revived stop were reignited in 2022.
This also included settling on a name for the site. Given the existing James Street station, city region leaders wanted to avoid confusing passengers and set about a public vote and Liverpool Baltic was the overwhelming winner.
Who will the new station serve?
Subject to the planning committee's approval after a site visit next week, the station will serve Merseyrail's Northern Line.
The proposed new station is part of Metro Mayor Rotheram's Merseyrail for All commitment to reach communities currently not connected to the local rail network by utilising the region's new pioneering battery powered technology, which has made it possible to extend the lines beyond current boundaries.
What can passengers expect?
The station will include passenger toilets, a cycle hub, step-free access to and between both platforms and a passenger drop-off area outside.
New documents revealed how the station could comprise an overground single-storey building with a tall wraparound parapet, a mezzanine level, new widened underground platforms and four lift/emergency exit shafts.
The station's ticket lobby and staff facilities would be located at ground floor level.
Where has the cash come from?
The £96m required for the station came from the £710m City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), dedicated to major transport projects across the city region.
The construction phase is projected to generate around 330 jobs at a regional level with £155m in benefits over a 60-year period upon completion.
Have there been any issues with the plans?
The main station building will be situated on a triangular plot bordered by Stanhope Street to the south, Ashwell Street to the east and north, and the Merseyrail Northern railway line cutting to the west.
A long-standing garage on Ashwell Street has warned of the detrimental effects such a development could have.
The garage, started by Mr Garrett's father in 1988, sits in an area that would become the station building and could potentially cut off vital road access for the business.
When the station bid was announced, Mr Rotheram said the new station would connect communities to jobs. Mr Garrett told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he had lost members of his team because of fears they would be out of work as a result.
Mr Garrett said should no solution be found "it would appear that the nuclear option" to relocate from the Baltic "may be the only way forward".
A Liverpool Council spokesperson said the application would consider the comments received regarding the station build while a representative for the LCRCA said they had taken into account feedback received from residents and businesses, including Mr Garrett and Ashwell Motors when designing the scheme.
When is it set to open?
The Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said his goal would be to deliver the station by 2027.
In November, Mr Rotheram said it was more likely to be towards the end of 2027 that people were able to use the new station.
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