Waterloo railway station (Merseyside)
Waterloo railway station is a railway station serving the town of Waterloo in Merseyside, England, on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.
History
Waterloo railway station opened on 24 July 1848 as the original southern terminus of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway when it opened its line from here to.The terminus was located on the north side of South Road and an engine shed was located a short distance to the south of the station on the seaward side of the line.
A correspondent writing in the Liverpool Mercury in 1849 commented that the station had "a platform with an ample shed that were well built, admirable and worthy of the importance of the line", the facilities had improved "strikingly" since opening and it now had "good waiting rooms, comfortable furniture and a well arranged pay office", there was even a temporary refreshment shed with genuine Eccles cakes.
Unfortunately this admirable situation did not prevail for long, another correspondent in the Liverpool Mercury in 1855 complained that the "waiting room had been dismantled of its furniture", had its "floor covering removed" and become a "neglected spot" frequented by porters and others.
Whilst the station was the southern terminus of the railway a horsedrawn omnibus service was operated to Tithebarn Street in Liverpool city centre. 74 trips were run each day with an average of 14 passengers per journey. When the LC&SR opened a booking office in Dale Street the journeys were extended to there.
When the line was extended south towards Liverpool on 1 October 1850 a level crossing was installed at South Road and the engine shed was relocated to the east side of the line just north of South Road.
The original station site became a goods and mineral depot, there was a goods shed and a five-ton crane. The goods yard closed on 27 November 1967.
The station was re-sited to the south side of road on 24 July 1881, the level crossing being replaced by an overbridge with the station entrance on the bridge. There is a wide island platform with waiting rooms, at the Liverpool end of the platform is a footbridge giving access from both sides.
The station was renamed Waterloo on 14 May 1984.
In 1850 the LC&SR had been authorised to lease, sell or transfer itself to the L&YR and on 14 June 1855 the L&YR purchased and took over the LC&SR.
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. Nationalisation followed in 1948.
In January 1977, Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive extended the railway station to an adjacent turning roundabout for local buses, named Waterloo Interchange. Local bus services were timed to call at the Interchange with the arrival and departure of Merseyrail services to and from Liverpool. This was the largest such scheme in Merseyside, similar interchange facilities were provided at Kirkby railway station in 1980. These arrangements lasted until 25 October 1986, after which bus services were deregulated and all bus/rail coordination was abandoned.
In 1978 the station became part of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line.