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Pressure to open a station has existed for years, but Liverpool FC’s home ground expansion has increased calls for better public transport12:54, 07 Jun 2026Updated 13:10, 07 Jun 2026Outside Anfield Stadium ahead of the Premier League match(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty)There are fresh hopes a new train station could be opened in Anfield, more than seven years after officials said they were exploring plans to upgrade transport links in the area. This included the potential for new rail infrastructure projects, designed to improve travel to-and-from Anfield, and to serve Liverpool FC’s stadium during match days.In December 2019, the Liverpool ECHO reported on the possibility of a new Anfield train station, but since then, there has been no further updates on the proposal.Pressure to open a station has existed for years, but Liverpool FC plans to expand its home ground increased calls for better public transport around the stadium.Following the completion of the £80m Anfield Road Stand, LFC’s home ground now has a 61,000 seat capacity, which has bolstered the rationale for improved transport infrastructure, including rail upgrades and a new station.Liverpool fans outside Anfield stadium(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)Mayor Steve Rotheram told the ECHO in October 2019 he was ‘optimistic’ a new train station, serving Anfield football stadium, could be delivered, and confirmed the combined authority would start work to establish how the Bootle branch line could be reopened, as well as the costs of doing so.Since then, Mayor Rotheram, as part of the government’s continued devolution plans, no has a range of powers, and the authority to direct the region’s transport plans, and associated infrastructure projects. The closest train stations to the ground are currently Bank Hall and Kirkdale, but both are around a 30 minute walk from the stadium.If the Bootle Branch line was to be reopened, it would mean the nearest, and seemingly most viable option for a new Anfield train station, would be the old Breck Road station, previously located on the London & North Western Railway’s Canada Dock branch, and on the north side of Townsend Lane.Breck Road Station opened in 1870, and closed more than seventy years later on 31 May 1948. By 2017 the only trace of the station appeared to be a bricked-up entrance at street level, but it’s believed freight trains still pass through the station site, and over the bridge.The ECHO reached out to Liverpool City Council and Merseyrail, but were told all updates about the proposals are being handled by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).Responding to questions about the possibility of reopening Breck Road Station, providing a rail link to Anfield Stadium, and previous reports which indicated the plan would be progressed, a spokesperson for LCRCA provided us with an update.The spokesperson said: “Transport planning for the Anfield area has developed significantly in recent years, with a focus on delivering the most effective and future-proof solutions for the area.“As part of this, Anfield has been identified as one of the key priority corridors for the Liverpool City Region’s proposed rapid transit network, and this is now the primary focus for improving connectivity.“We are also continuing to progress a number of rail expansion projects across the region, including Liverpool Baltic, Carr Mill, Daresbury and Woodchurch.”

We take a close look at the enormous plans that could change the way our famous city centre looks, feels and works over the next 10-15 yearsMajor development plans for LiverpoolWhen it comes to transformative change, Liverpool city centre has seen plenty. The heart of our city has been transported from a post-industrial port into a buzzing and internationally-renowned tourism and cultural hub.Undoubtedly the pivotal moment in this reimagining of the city centre came as Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture in 2008. This huge moment acted as a catalyst for billions of pounds of development, the establishment of new cultural institutions and the creation of new shopping districts – largely as part of the Liverpool One development.But that was all some time ago now – and many feel Liverpool city centre’s next big moment of regeneration is now due. Clearly those running the city and those wanting to invest in it feel similarly – because in recent months a host of huge and potentially city-altering plans have been put forward.We visited each site to explain how the enormous plans and proposals could see to totally redesign the way our city centre, looks, feels and works over the next 10 to 15 years – and produced a special video to outline it all.Here we look closely at the four projects highlighted in our video.Liverpool Central StationHow the new Liverpool Central project could reshape part of the city centre Liverpool Central Station is one of the busiest transport hubs outside of London, with huge numbers of people passing through and into the city centre each day.But the station is looking tired and at times as though it is falling apart, with leaks and large queues as the ageing infrastructure struggles to copy with the volume of people passing through.It has been a long-term ambition of city leaders, not just to redevelop Liverpool Central, but to regenerate the area of the city centre around it – and to better connect it with Liverpool Lime Street and its national train services.Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has talked of a £5 billion vision to create something akin to the Kings Cross and St Pancras transport hub in London, where the two major stations are connected via an underground tunnel. He says this could be done between Central and Lime Street.This 86-acre project aims to create a world-class transport hub to transform connectivity, drive regeneration, and unlock economic growth in Liverpool City Region and the North West of England.But both the mayor and Liverpool City Council bosses see this as more than just a transport development, but also a chance to totally reimagine a huge chunk of the city centre – with more housing, public spaces and retail units.Last month the city council released some early designs of how its Liverpool Central vision could look. The council is now working with specialist designers Hawkins/Brown to create a Strategic Regeneration Framework to guide these ambitious plans for investment and regeneration around the station – aiming to unlock its full potential as a welcoming and well-connected city centre arrival point.Pall Mall GardensHow the new Pall Mall development could eventually lookIf you think you have read about the Pall Mall development in Liverpool’s Business District for a number of years now, it is because this one has been dragging on for a while now.The ECHO has been reporting on the situation surrounding this city centre site for many years. The council-owned site, which used to include a city centre green space, was controversially fenced off in 2020 as initial plans were announced for new development of three blocks of Grade A office space, a hotel and gardens.Remediation of the site took place before the project stalled and the space has remained vacant and empty ever-since. Last year new funding was secured, giving new hope that phase one of the £60m scheme could be delivered by 2028, creating the first Grade A office space in the city for 15 years.Keir Property Developments Ltd remain the appointed developer on the project, which could create a total of 400,000 sq ft of office space, accompanied by retail and leisure space and 6,000 sq m of landscaped public green space.The project – which many see as absolutely crucial for the development of the city’s business district – received another big boost earlier this year when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that government cash would be used to help progress the plans.KingsA stunning visual of the upper landscape at Kings, the planned new waterfront development When it comes to the most potentially transformative of the plans that currently exists for the city centre, there isn’t much that could come close to building a big underground tunnel between Lime Street and Liverpool Central, but this one is not far off.If you talk to many movers and shakers in Liverpool’s business or political worlds, most will tell you how excited they are about the Kings Development plans.This is a £1.2 billion plan to create a brand new neighbourhood close to the city’s famous waterfront, on land at Gibraltar Row. The landmark plans would see 10 buildings created in total, including a 70-storey tower, which would be Liverpool’s tallest building.The plans stem from a collaboration between Beetham and the TJ Morris Group, who operate the Home Bargains empire. This means the project has significant financial backing. In total Kings would see a total of 2,750 homes developed as well as 400 hotel rooms, 150,000 sqft of offices and 160,000 sqft for retail and leisure.Central to the bold new vision will be the huge 70-floor tower, which will include a hotel. Permission has already been granted for the first building in the development, a 28-storey building.Speaking to the ECHO last month, Beetham boss Hugh Frost said: “It’s the most fantastic opportunity in the city. It’s a chance to change the skyline for the better, create a really vibrant district, a neighbourhood that links the central business district with the rest of local waters and the waterfront, which is one of the city’s biggest assets.”PumpfieldsAn artist’s impression of how the Pumpfield neighbourhood could lookWhen leaders in Liverpool set out their vision for the city centre over the next couple of decades, they often talk about expanding the footprint of what is currently considered the city centre.That’s certainly the case when it comes to the proposals for an area known as the Pumpfields District.This past week, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet signed off on a huge masterplan for an area to an area that is currently an island site, split by Scotland Road to the east, Leeds Street to the south, Great Howard Street to the west, and the Kingsway Tunnel to the north.The proposed development seeks to unlock and reintegrate the site through the creation of new and improved connections with the surrounding neighbourhoods and wider city. Among the new infrastructure is the potential for approximately 7,283 new homes.A new half a kilometre long green corridor named Kingsway Park would restore natural elements to the area which currently comprises residential buildings, surface car parking and vacant land.Members of the local authority’s cabinet have endorsed a strategy in the form of a supplementary planning document (SPD), embracing the site’s past while creating a sustainable, vibrant, mixed-use new neighbourhood delivering new homes, along with improved infrastructure and community facilities.