Waterloo railway station (Merseyside)

Waterloo railway station is a railway station in Waterloo, Merseyside, England, on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It serves a largely residential area, although there is a number of shops along South Road, where the station entrance is situated.

History
Waterloo railway station opened on 24 July 1848 as the original southern terminus of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway (LC&SR) when it opened its line from here to Southport Eastbank Street.

The terminus was located on the north side of South Road and an engine shed was located a short distance to the south of the station on the seaward side of the line.

A correspondent writing in the Liverpool Mercury in 1849 commented that the station had "a platform with an ample shed that were well built, admirable and worthy of the importance of the line", the facilities had improved "strikingly" since opening and it now had "good waiting rooms, comfortable furniture and a well arranged pay office" (presumably the booking office), there was even a temporary refreshment shed with genuine Eccles cakes.

Unfortunately this admirable situation did not prevail for long, another correspondent in the Liverpool Mercury in 1855 complained that the "waiting room had been dismantled of its furniture", had its "floor covering removed" and become a "neglected spot" frequented by porters and others.

Whilst the station was the southern terminus of the railway a horsedrawn omnibus service was operated to Tithebarn Street in Liverpool city centre. 74 trips were run each day with an average of 14 passengers per journey. When the LC&SR opened a booking office in Dale Street the journeys were extended to there.

When the line was extended south towards Liverpool on 1 October 1850 a level crossing was installed at South Road and the engine shed was relocated to the east side of the line just north of South Road.

The original station site became a goods and mineral depot, there was a goods shed and a five-ton crane. The goods yard closed on 27 November 1967.

The station was re-sited to the south side of road on 24 July 1881, the level crossing being replaced by an overbridge with the station entrance on the bridge. There is a wide island platform with waiting rooms, at the Liverpool end of the platform is a footbridge giving access from both sides.

The station was renamed Waterloo (Merseyside) on 14 May 1984.

In 1850 the LC&SR had been authorised to lease, sell or transfer itself to the L&YR and on 14 June 1855 the L&YR purchased and took over the LC&SR.

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was Grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948.

In 1978 the station became part of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line (operated by British Rail until privatised in 1995).

Accidents and incidents
On 15 July 1903, a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway passenger train entered the station at excessive speed and was derailed. Seven people were killed and 116 were injured.

Facilities
The station is staffed 15 minutes before the first service and 15 minutes after the last service. There is platform CCTV, shelters and a booking office. A self-serve ticket machine is also provided in the booking hall. There are departure and arrival screens on the platform for passenger information. The station has secure storage for 30 cycles. The station is fully wheelchair accessible: access to the platforms is via steps or a lift from the ticket office. There is another entry point by means of a ramp from the bus station across South Road, although this has been closed for several years. The station also connects with local bus services.

Services
Trains run northbound to Southport and southbound to Hunts Cross via Liverpool Central at 15 minute frequencies on Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, they run every 30 minutes.