Moorfields train station in Liverpool city centre is set for a £1m ‘visual and functional upgrade’ but the street itself remains tired and neglected. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has announced a £1m facelift for Moorfields station in Liverpool city centre.
Despite being a key transport gateway into the city, Moorfields station and the street itself has declined significantly in both feel and appearance in recent years with empty buildings and undeveloped land creating a sense of decay.
And the pedestrian approach from Dale Street to the station, which is under cover, has become a favoured spot for rough sleepers. There has also been an increase in antisocial behaviour.
Upkeep of the station and its immediate surroundings is complicated by the number of parties involved. It is managed in parts by the city council, Network Rail, Merseytravel and the CA.
A set of two escalators supposed to carry passengers in and out of the elevated booking hall remained out of action for two years until this year. In 2023 the city council awarded a £37,000 contract to KONE to repair the escalators.
New chains had to be procured from Germany, being built to an exact specification for each escalator and they did not come back into service until this year.
Now, subject to planning and design approvals, the Combined Authority will embark on a “visual and functional upgrade” with work expected to begin in October and finish by the end of 2025.
They will include new cladding, energy-efficient LED lighting, enhanced signage, a covered staircase, and secure, relocated cycle storage.
This project represents the first phase of a broader vision to modernise Moorfields station. Work is already underway to develop a more ambitious, long-term transformation that reflects the station’s importance to Liverpool’s commercial heart.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Moorfields sits right at the heart of Liverpool’s business district – but for too long, its main entrance hasn’t reflected the energy and ambition of the area it serves.
“While we finalise plans for stations to be devolved locally, this investment is about improving things in the short term – creating a cleaner, brighter, and more welcoming gateway for the thousands of people who travel into the district every day.”
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Last summer Manchester-based CERT Property secured planning consent to convert the 27,000 sq ft Centric House office building, opposite the station, into 46 apartments.
However, there is little sign of activity in other parts of the street. The former Yates’s Wine Lodge remains empty and neglected with the adjacent wasteland also lacking any signs of new development.