The Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway (LC&SR) received parliamentary authorization on 2 July 1847 and opened between Southport and Liverpool, on 24 July 1848. The Liverpool terminal was a temporary station on the viaduct passing near to Waterloo Goods station.
LC&SR later operations
The line was extended from Waterloo Goods Station to Liverpool Tithebarn Street/Liverpool Exchange, the station had two names, which later settled on the name Liverpool Exchange station, on 13 May 1850. The original Southport terminus was at Eastbank Street, until that station was closed on the opening of the current Chapel Street station on 22 August 1851.
Operations by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
The LC&SR became part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR), on 14 June 1855. The LYR electrified the line, using the third-rail system, and services started on 5 April 1904. 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.
British Railways and later operations
Nationalisation followed in 1948, and the line was destined for closure under the 1960s Beeching plan but survived. In 1978 it became part of the Merseyrail Network's Northern Line, operated by British Rail until it was privatised in 1995. Since 2003 the line has been operated by the Serco-Abellio consortium as part of its contract to operate Merseyrail.
Stations on the Liverpool and Southport line
Stations on the line serve the following places:
Sandhills - Liverpool Docks
Bank Hall - Liverpool Docks
Bootle Oriel Road - Bootle
Bootle New Strand - Bootle
Seaforth & Litherland - Seaforth & Litherland
Waterloo - Waterloo, Merseyside
Blundellsands & Crosby - Crosby & Blundellsands
Hall Road - Blundellsands
Hightown - Hightown
Altcar Rifle Range (closed 1921) Formby Power Station (closed c.1944) Formby - Formby Freshfield - Freshfield Ainsdale - Ainsdale Hillside - Ainsdale / Birkdale Birkdale - Birkdale Southport Eastbank Street (closed 1851) - Southport Southport Chapel Street - Southport
Notes
References
External links
https://web.archive.org/web/20050905222645/http://www.southportmodelrailway.org.uk/History/history.html