Liverpool city region has £1.6bn to pay for new trains stations, new buses and a fleet of glider vehicles and now the Combined Authority wants the public to help shape the next 15 years of transport investment. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) is seeking help from people and businesses on transport policy for the next 15 years.
In Early December the CA announced it had secured £1.6bn from the Government to spend over the next five years. This will see investment into new Merseyrail stations, electric buses and the £100m Glider rapid transport network.
Planning for those investments is well under way and the CA is now looking beyond 2032 to plan its transport policies for the next 15 years. It has launched a public consultation on its Local Transport Delivery Plan 2025–2040.
This sets out how the ambitions of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) will be turned into projects on the ground. The LTP is a statutory document that outlines the city region’s vision for transport up to 2040.
More than 1,000 people responded to a public and stakeholder consultation on the LTP in autumn 2024, and now the Combined Authority is seeking views on what, when and how the LTP will be delivered.
The online survey is open to anyone who lives, works or travels in the Liverpool City Region and will focus on the Imminent Phase (2027–2032) and the Future Vision period (2032–2040).
While the overall direction of the plan remains unchanged, feedback led to a number of refinements, including:
- Stronger emphasis on transport safety and perceived safety.
- Clearer focus on town centres and key destinations across the city region, not just the city centre.
- Explicit inclusion of coach travel alongside buses.
- Updated references to port and freight following changes to national investment priorities
- Stronger focus on resilience, climate adaptation and water management.
Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “Our transport network plays a huge role in people’s everyday lives – from getting to work or education, to staying healthy, supporting our economy and tackling climate change.
“This delivery plan is about turning our long-term vision into practical action, with better, safer and more reliable transport for everyone.
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“We want residents, businesses and communities to help shape how we invest in our transport system over the next 15 years, so that it truly works for the Liverpool City Region.”
Responses will help shape the next stages of detailed design and development of future transport schemes. All proposals identified in the Imminent Phase will be subject to further consultation as designs are developed. It is open until Sunday, February 22.