'Rapid' bus network for Bramley-Moore Dock, Anfield & Liverpool Airport as £1.6bn transport funding announced

Chancellor Rachel Reeves today - ahead of next week’s Spending Review - announced a multi-billion-pound investment in public transport across the North and Midlands, confirming the Liverpool City Region would receive £1.6bn - the single largest investment in the region’s transport infrastructure to date.

Secured through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), the funding supports Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plans for a ‘London-style’ public transport system, three new Merseyrail stations and a new ‘rapid transit’ network.

In response to today’s announcement, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: “Work will now progress on three new stations – Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral, and Daresbury in Halton – alongside committed schemes at Liverpool Baltic and a redeveloped Runcorn station.”

As part of his successful manifesto to win a third term, Rotheram pledged to introduce a rapid transit bus system to serve key routes across the Liverpool City Region.

Around £100m is expected to be spent on the rapid network - inspired by the Belfast Glider - which will run between Liverpool city centre and Liverpool Airport as well as Anfield Stadium and Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock ground.

The funding will also facilitate a new fleet of buses for the city region’s franchised bus network, beginning with St Helens and the Wirral in 2026 and then Sefton, Knowsley, North and South Liverpool in 2027.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “This is a really big win for our area and for the 1.6m people who call it home.

“It means new train stations where they’re needed most, better buses that actually turn up, and a new rapid transit system to help people get where they need to be – whether that’s for work, education, socialising or care.

- Get the biggest stories from Merseyside in your inbox with Liverpool World’s free newsletter emails.

“For too long, too many of our communities have had to put up with second-rate services. This is our chance to put that right.

“With buses coming back under public control for the first time in a generation, this funding gives us the tools to shape a transport system that puts people first. And while the headline projects are important, the real value lies in the flexibility it gives us to keep investing in the infrastructure our communities need now and into the future.”

Beyond the three flagship projects, the Combined Authority said the funding will also back a number of schemes aimed at “revitalising and reconnecting” towns across the city region – including Bootle, Huyton, Kirkby and Southport - helping to unlock a city-scale regeneration centred on the new Everton stadium.