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Wirral line

Wirral line
A yellow "M" over a grey circle with "Merseyrail" underneath. The background is yellow.
A Merseyrail train painted with a yellow front and grey sides. It is underground at Liverpool Central station.
A Class 508 EMU on a Wirral line service at Liverpool Central.
Overview
Type Commuter rail
System National Rail
Status Operational
Locale Merseyside & Cheshire,
North West England
Termini Chester
53°11′48.9″N 2°52′48.17″W / 53.196917°N 2.8800472°W / 53.196917; -2.8800472 (Chester railway station)
Ellesmere Port
53°16′55.2″N 2°53′45.6″W / 53.282000°N 2.896000°W / 53.282000; -2.896000 (Ellesmere Port railway station)
New Brighton
53°26′13.2″N 3°2′56.4″W / 53.437000°N 3.049000°W / 53.437000; -3.049000 (New Brighton railway station)
West Kirby
53°22′22.8″N 3°11′2.4″W / 53.373000°N 3.184000°W / 53.373000; -3.184000 (West Kirby railway station)
Stations 34
Operation
Owner Network Rail
Operator(s) Merseyrail
Depot(s) Birkenhead North TMD
Rolling stock Class 507
Class 508
Technical
Line length 33 miles 46 chains (54.0 km)
Number of tracks Two (One through loop tunnel)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Loading gauge W6
Electrification 750 V DC third rail
Operating speed 70 mph (110 km/h) maximum

The Wirral line is one of two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern line. A third line of the Merseyrail network, the City Line, is not operated by the Merseyrail train operating company, though it also receives funding from Merseytravel, the passenger transport executive for Merseyside.

The Wirral line connects Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with branches to New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port. Beneath Liverpool, the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single-track tunnel called the Loop, built in the early 1970s.

The line was created by the amalgamation of several historic railways, and has carried its present name since the opening of the Merseyrail network by Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978 during the British Rail period. The Wirral line is fully electrified with a DC third rail, and has existed in its current form since May 1994 with the start of electric services to Ellesmere Port. A total of 34 stations are served, with connections available to mainline services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. The line also connects with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at Liverpool Central and Moorfields.


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