NEW opportunities for work and leisure will be created by new rail services between Liverpool and North Wales via the re-opened Halton Curve.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, along with key partners in the scheme, will be welcoming the first service from Wrexham into Lime Street at 7:59am today (Monday, May 20).

Operated by Transport for Wales, the first service will call at Chester, Helsby, Frodsham, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway, en-route.

Services between Chester and Lime St via the Halton Curve will run seven days a week, with services between Wrexham and Liverpool currently running Monday to Saturday, with two trains a day towards Liverpool and one towards Wrexham. .

This is the first service to run direct from North Wales into Liverpool for more than 40 years. Future plans will see more journeys into Wales, with some services running to Cardiff via Shrewsbury and to Llandudno.

The new service will generate 250,000 new trips, unlocking leisure and business opportunities between the Liverpool City Region, Cheshire and North Wales. As journeys between the Liverpool City Region, West Cheshire and North Wales are currently largely car dependent, it's expected that the new service would remove the need for 170,000 road journeys helping reduce demand on key routes such as the M56 and A55.

It also supports Liverpool John Lennon Airport and its growth ambitions, opening up a much wider catchment for national and international leisure and business travel.

Mr Rotheram said: "One of the Combined Authority's key priorities is the delivery of major improvements in connectivity for our area and this is an example of us achieving that through new links into North Wales and Cheshire.

“The Halton Curve is one of many ambitious rail schemes across the Liverpool City Region that have been delivered by the Combined Authority, working together in partnership with a number of organisations.

“This is only the start of realising the benefits that re-opening the Curve will bring and the future plans for services linking the city region with Cardiff and the North Wales coast can only benefit us further.”

The Halton Curve scheme has seen the re-opening of a 1.5 mile stretch of track near Frodsham which links services from Chester onto the West Coast Mainline into Liverpool. Work to bring the track back into full use began in July 2017 was completed by Network Rail in May 2018.

The £14.5m Halton Curve project has been funded through the Government’s Local Growth Funding which is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund, along with direct capital funding from the Combined Authority. The final cost has come in under the projected £17.95m budget.

It has been developed by the Liverpool City Region (including Halton Council), Cheshire West and Cheshire Council, the Welsh Government and a consortium of the six county authorities in North Wales. The works have been delivered by Network Rail.

It forms part of the £340m investment in rail in the Liverpool City Region by the end of 2019 and also sits within the Great North Rail Project – a multi-billion pound investment plan to transform train travel across the North.

Ken Skates AM, Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport, said: “I’m delighted to be launching the new Transport for Wales rail services between North Wales and Cheshire to Liverpool.

“Each day thousands of commuters travel between North Wales and North West England meaning excellent rail connectivity is vital to the economy on both sides of the border.

“By providing 215 new services per week, we will strengthen links with our cross-border neighbours which will create important economic and social opportunities. Improving access will also provide a boost to our local communities and regional tourism sector, attracting more visitors to Wales.

“I’d like to thank all partners involved in this project and I look forward to continuing our close working relationship for the benefit of all rail users.”

Karla Telford, Network Rail project manager for the Halton Curve upgrade, said: Our major track and signalling upgrades on the Halton Curve – a relatively small stretch of track near Frodsham – were completed on time and under budget in May last year.

“The upgrade forms a vital part of our Great North Rail Project and unlocks new work and leisure opportunities between the Liverpool City Region, its airport, Cheshire and North Wales.

"Improved rail links are vital to boost the local economy. It’s incredibly exciting to see the new hourly Liverpool to Chester services in operation and welcome the first direct service from North Wales to Liverpool in over 40 years.”

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport at Wrexham Council, said: "This is great news and this service will be welcomed by rail users in Wrexham and North Wales.

“I hope it is the first of many new routes connecting the region with Liverpool, including Liverpool Airport."