Liverpool Lime Street railway station

Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station complex located on Lime Street, in Liverpool city centre, Merseyside, England. Although publicly a single and unified station, it is operationally divided into two: High Level, the principal station serving Liverpool and the oldest still-operating grand terminus main line station in the world; and Low Level, an underground Wirral line station (part of the Merseyrail network), which is connected to the main terminal building by a pedestrian subway below street-level. Despite their operational distinctions, both stations are integrated from a passenger perspective, sharing signage, access points and overall station identity. Lime Street High Level is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, while Low Level is managed directly by the train operator, Merseyrail. A branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston terminates at Lime Street, as does the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The station building was designed by John Cunningham, Arthur Holme and John Foster Jr and built by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to replace their existing terminus at Crown Street, which was deemed to be too far from the city centre; construction beginning in October 1833 and the station opening in August 1836. Due to growing popularity, the station was later expanded by Joseph Locke and others in 1849 and again by William Baker and Francis Stevenson in 1867, which included the construction of the world’s largest arched train shed at the time as well as a second train shed being added in 1879. Following nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Lime Street station saw various upgrades, including improved signalling, a redeveloped concourse, and new retail and office space. Electric rail services to Crewe began in 1962, followed by the station’s first InterCity service to London in 1966. In the 1970s, with the commencement of Merseyrail Wirral line services to Lime Street Low Level and the closure of all other long-distance…