Inner-city
Player Valuation: £2.5m
Transport Select Committee Liverpool City Council, 10 Feb 2011.
Item 51 question "Merseytravel":
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=10728&T=11
The council are mentioning Liverpool FC and Everton Fc as financial enablers to open up the eastern section of the Outer Loop line giving full city rail loop. There are five potential stadium site on the Loop:
Council see Both Clubs Need Rapid-Transit Rail
The reason for the Council's interest is that both football club's need high capacity stadiums with the Outer Loop offering by far the best rail transport solution with excellent motorway and trunk road connections. Any Park & Ride stations around the Loop can be used for both clubs and access to the city centre. Park and ride stations can be anywhere on the Loop with good road access, meshing in differing transport modes.
The council see large stadiums being built by the two clubs, which is a rare unique occurrence. The large volumes of people attracted to events needs fast rail transport and stadiums in locations with trunk road and motorway access. Providing excellent transport connections for both clubs in different locations is very difficult.
Council See Outer Loop Line as Key to Success For Clubs and City
The eastern section Outer Loop, which should have been in operation by the 1980s is largely safeguarded. The Council never bought Merseytravel's excuses in dismissing the Loop. The Outer Loop provides many solutions in one swoop giving the opportunity to have the clubs located anywhere on the Loop, even in locations with poor current road transport connections as park and ride using the Loop will solve many problems. The city also gets its rail line active after many decades, promoting growth.
The Outer Loop gives the opportunity for a number of park and ride stations at key road points around the city to be built serving the two clubs and the city in general. The Outer Loop will access directly large parts of the city and one station changes to all parts of Merseyside.
LFC's planning permission expires soon giving the Council an ideal opportunity to get LFC on the Outer Loop line.
The Bootle Branch Line, although proposed to be electrified in the current electrification programme and a station serving the Stanley Park stadium, being not far to the current proposed Stanley Park stadium site offers no connection with the city centre Merseyrail underground section. The line terminates at mainline Lime Street station, having limitations in effective use for football and general traffic in comparison to the Outer Loop line.
Current Electrification Programme Will Cut Costs
The current electrification of the Liverpool to St.Helens and Wigan lines will cut costs. This electrification is envisaged to accelerate the building of the junction at Broad Green splitting the Outer Loop into two giving more direct city centre access, as the Council mentioned. It is also viewed to accelerate the completion of the Edge Hill Spur project, which is the reuse of one of the old Edge Hill to City centre tunnels giving direct city centre underground access from the poorly served eastern part of the city and Merseyside.
The Council are ahead of Merseytravel in many points in assessing the rail needs of the city. The Council are attempting to merge all together using the football clubs as financial enablers, as well as other interested parties, such as Sainsbury's at Knotty Ash. Only the Council can gather all parties into one group to provide a solution. The Council can offer stadium sites, while Merseytravel cannot. Many in the Merseyside Civic Society are for cajoling the two clubs to get onto the Outer Loop line as the clubs will spark the resuse of the line.
Funding for Rapid-Transit Line
Funding for the line? Many millions were to be spent on Liverpool's cancelled tram scheme. The city still wants the large investment promised as it missed out when other cities got it in rail transport. Liverpool is a priority over other cities because it missed out before the Credit Crunch. A well thought out and presented case using other financial enablers will tip the balance for Whitehall funding. After the Merseytram fiasco, Neal Scales of Mersetravel wanted to use this promised funding for low usage lines which do little to benefit Liverpool, such as bringing the Welsh Borderlands line into Merseyrail. He needed the Welsh to part fund. The fact is that Merseytravel has not even presented any decent rail cases for the city, for Dept for Transport funding, for them to even say "no".
Arsenal's Stadium Success is Example
In London, the Arsenal FCs new stadium has been over 98% full in 6 years. Unbelievable. Unprecedented. Rapid-transit rail make that possible, as Arsenal have 27 rapid-transit rail platforms around the new stadium.
http://tinyurl.com/26rfyy6
Tottenham Wanted to Build Two Stadia to get Rapid-Transit Rail Access
Rival club Tottenham, are to build a new stadium. They wanted to occupy the under construction Olympic stadium after the Olympics. But.. They wanted to engage in all this cost:
Council Want Both Clubs on the One Rapid-Transit Line
So rapid-transit rail can make a difference when done right as Arsenal have proven. It also keeps the 1000s of nusiance fans away from the local community, and keeps polluting cars off the roads.
LFC have planning permission for 60,000. To get to over 60,000 capacity, which they have hinted they want 75,000, LFC have to contribute to a station on the Bootle Branch line. This is now much easier as the line is being electrified. It also runs through populated districts
The Council see it is best to get LFC and EFC move to sites on the mothballed eastern section of the Outer Loop getting that section commissioned forming the full city loop after 35 years of waiting. The full Outer Loop will make the commuter-rail Merseyrail move more towards a metro as a bonus.
The Council on a meeting on 31 March 2011 is pushing for all interested parties to get together.
Below: The full Outer Loop. The red is the eastern disused section. The Council want the Loop to branch into the pink dotted lines at Rice Lane Station to return back to the city.
Item 51 question "Merseytravel":
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=10728&T=11
Question - Merseytravel
“The city districts and city suburbs of the City of Liverpool are underprovided for by Merseyrail compared to other Merseyside areas. For example, Birkenhead is as close or closer to Liverpool city centre as/than Toxteth, Wavertree, Old Swan, West Derby, Knotty Ash, Tuebrook, Stoneycroft, Norris Green, Anfield and Everton etc.. Birkenhead has many Merseyrail stations whereas the aforementioned Liverpool city districts have none.
Will Liverpool City Council undertake to work towards re-balancing this discrepancy by endeavouring to facilitate the following:
“The city districts and city suburbs of the City of Liverpool are underprovided for by Merseyrail compared to other Merseyside areas. For example, Birkenhead is as close or closer to Liverpool city centre as/than Toxteth, Wavertree, Old Swan, West Derby, Knotty Ash, Tuebrook, Stoneycroft, Norris Green, Anfield and Everton etc.. Birkenhead has many Merseyrail stations whereas the aforementioned Liverpool city districts have none.
Will Liverpool City Council undertake to work towards re-balancing this discrepancy by endeavouring to facilitate the following:
- In the short to medium term
- re-activation of the existing Liverpool Loop Line from Hunts Cross on the Northern Line to Rice Lane on the Kirkby Line;
- consideration of the opening of stations on the Liverpool Loop Line at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool Football Club and Everton Football Club as priorities, as economic enablers of the project; and
- creation of a junction on the Liverpool Loop Line at Broadgreen to allow additional access, using existing active railways, to Liverpool city centre through Wavertree Technology Park and central inner Liverpool suburbs. This would also create two city loops, increasing flexibility of services; and
- Production of a long term strategy to provide many more Liverpool city districts and citizens with the enormous benefits of quality commuter/Metro rail services which are part of and integrated into the existing extensive Merseyrail network.”
The council are mentioning Liverpool FC and Everton Fc as financial enablers to open up the eastern section of the Outer Loop line giving full city rail loop. There are five potential stadium site on the Loop:
- The Council mention Alder Hey hospital (in Liverpool).
- Long Lane near the Northern Line Kirkby branch as well - previously suggested by the Council for EFC & LFC and in Liverpool.
- Broad Green Hospital was once mentioned by the Council for LFC (in Liverpool)
- There is the site of the sewage works east of Woolton, once mentioned for EFCs training ground (not in Liverpool, but Knowlsley).
- Walton Hall Park.
Council see Both Clubs Need Rapid-Transit Rail
The reason for the Council's interest is that both football club's need high capacity stadiums with the Outer Loop offering by far the best rail transport solution with excellent motorway and trunk road connections. Any Park & Ride stations around the Loop can be used for both clubs and access to the city centre. Park and ride stations can be anywhere on the Loop with good road access, meshing in differing transport modes.
The council see large stadiums being built by the two clubs, which is a rare unique occurrence. The large volumes of people attracted to events needs fast rail transport and stadiums in locations with trunk road and motorway access. Providing excellent transport connections for both clubs in different locations is very difficult.
Council See Outer Loop Line as Key to Success For Clubs and City
The eastern section Outer Loop, which should have been in operation by the 1980s is largely safeguarded. The Council never bought Merseytravel's excuses in dismissing the Loop. The Outer Loop provides many solutions in one swoop giving the opportunity to have the clubs located anywhere on the Loop, even in locations with poor current road transport connections as park and ride using the Loop will solve many problems. The city also gets its rail line active after many decades, promoting growth.
The Outer Loop gives the opportunity for a number of park and ride stations at key road points around the city to be built serving the two clubs and the city in general. The Outer Loop will access directly large parts of the city and one station changes to all parts of Merseyside.
LFC's planning permission expires soon giving the Council an ideal opportunity to get LFC on the Outer Loop line.
The Bootle Branch Line, although proposed to be electrified in the current electrification programme and a station serving the Stanley Park stadium, being not far to the current proposed Stanley Park stadium site offers no connection with the city centre Merseyrail underground section. The line terminates at mainline Lime Street station, having limitations in effective use for football and general traffic in comparison to the Outer Loop line.
Current Electrification Programme Will Cut Costs
The current electrification of the Liverpool to St.Helens and Wigan lines will cut costs. This electrification is envisaged to accelerate the building of the junction at Broad Green splitting the Outer Loop into two giving more direct city centre access, as the Council mentioned. It is also viewed to accelerate the completion of the Edge Hill Spur project, which is the reuse of one of the old Edge Hill to City centre tunnels giving direct city centre underground access from the poorly served eastern part of the city and Merseyside.
The Council are ahead of Merseytravel in many points in assessing the rail needs of the city. The Council are attempting to merge all together using the football clubs as financial enablers, as well as other interested parties, such as Sainsbury's at Knotty Ash. Only the Council can gather all parties into one group to provide a solution. The Council can offer stadium sites, while Merseytravel cannot. Many in the Merseyside Civic Society are for cajoling the two clubs to get onto the Outer Loop line as the clubs will spark the resuse of the line.
Funding for Rapid-Transit Line
Funding for the line? Many millions were to be spent on Liverpool's cancelled tram scheme. The city still wants the large investment promised as it missed out when other cities got it in rail transport. Liverpool is a priority over other cities because it missed out before the Credit Crunch. A well thought out and presented case using other financial enablers will tip the balance for Whitehall funding. After the Merseytram fiasco, Neal Scales of Mersetravel wanted to use this promised funding for low usage lines which do little to benefit Liverpool, such as bringing the Welsh Borderlands line into Merseyrail. He needed the Welsh to part fund. The fact is that Merseytravel has not even presented any decent rail cases for the city, for Dept for Transport funding, for them to even say "no".
Arsenal's Stadium Success is Example
In London, the Arsenal FCs new stadium has been over 98% full in 6 years. Unbelievable. Unprecedented. Rapid-transit rail make that possible, as Arsenal have 27 rapid-transit rail platforms around the new stadium.
http://tinyurl.com/26rfyy6
Tottenham Wanted to Build Two Stadia to get Rapid-Transit Rail Access
Rival club Tottenham, are to build a new stadium. They wanted to occupy the under construction Olympic stadium after the Olympics. But.. They wanted to engage in all this cost:
- Pull down the 80,000 stadium directly after the 2012 games
- Extend the Crystal Palace athletics stadium in South London to give athletics a major venue.
- Built on the Olympic stadium site a new high revenue generating dedicated football stadium.
Council Want Both Clubs on the One Rapid-Transit Line
So rapid-transit rail can make a difference when done right as Arsenal have proven. It also keeps the 1000s of nusiance fans away from the local community, and keeps polluting cars off the roads.
LFC have planning permission for 60,000. To get to over 60,000 capacity, which they have hinted they want 75,000, LFC have to contribute to a station on the Bootle Branch line. This is now much easier as the line is being electrified. It also runs through populated districts
The Council see it is best to get LFC and EFC move to sites on the mothballed eastern section of the Outer Loop getting that section commissioned forming the full city loop after 35 years of waiting. The full Outer Loop will make the commuter-rail Merseyrail move more towards a metro as a bonus.
The Council on a meeting on 31 March 2011 is pushing for all interested parties to get together.
Below: The full Outer Loop. The red is the eastern disused section. The Council want the Loop to branch into the pink dotted lines at Rice Lane Station to return back to the city.
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