Liverpool City Region to received £1.6 billion transport boost
It'll pay for new Merseyrail stations and a rapid bus network
Last updated 4th Jun 2025
The Liverpool City Region is set to benefit from a historic £1.6 billion investment to help deliver the next stage of its transport revolution - backing major rail upgrades, a new rapid transit network, and infrastructure to unlock one of the largest regeneration schemes in the country.
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."
The funding, confirmed by the Chancellor ahead of this year’s Spending Review, represents the single largest investment in the region’s transport infrastructure to date. Projects funded will help drive economic growth, link communities and create opportunity across the whole region.
Rotheram went on to add: "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.
"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."
At the heart of the plans is the largest-ever investment in local rail station infrastructure. 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.
The project will also deliver infrastructure to support up to 1,500 homes on nearly 11 hectares of brownfield land, catalysing growth on the eastern side of the Mersey.
Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, said:
"For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve."
“Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change."
The region will also move forward with a commitment to deliver a new Rapid Transit network, offering fast, modern, and reliable services between Liverpool city centre, John Lennon Airport, and key locations in North Liverpool. Inspired by successful models like the Belfast Glider, this system will support wider regeneration, linking existing communities with opportunity and improving access to major destinations including Bramley Moore Dock.
This is part of a broader programme to transform the region’s bus network, supporting the introduction of a zero-emission fleet, new depot infrastructure, and the rollout of franchising - returning buses to public control for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Other major recent investments in the Liverpool City Region transport network include the purchase of 100 zero-emission double-decker electric buses:
- £32 million transport interchange for St Helens town centre
- £26 million for the first new Mersey Ferry in over 60 years
- £150 million for new walking and cycling infrastructure
- £15 million for a revamp of key city region gateway Runcorn station and £100 million for the new Liverpool Baltic rail station.