IT WOULD be a great shame if £20m-worth of investment to improve safety at two of Merseyside’s busiest train stations was to be jeopardised, as we report today.

Even the Merseytravel chairman Mark Dowd has branded Liverpool Central a "tip" and no longer "fit for purpose".

Merseytravel and Network Rail have identified that £12m needs to be spent at Liverpool Central and £8m at James Street to deal with increasing passenger numbers.

But the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), in its draft proposals for railway funding, has refused to back the schemes saying that Network Rail’s "sums don’t add up".

This is a further blow after Liverpool’s flagship main-line station, Lime Street, was last year denied funding for a major upgrade by Network Rail. Instead, the station had to make do with a small-scale facelift, costing £2m, to make its interior more attractive before Capital of Culture year.

Indeed, it is ironic that, on one of the few occasions when Merseytravel and Network Rail are speaking with one voice on the need to upgrade two of Merseyside’s busiest train stations, they are frustrated now by the Office of Rail Regulation.

However, this is not a matter of just giving the stations a facelift. A Merseytravel document has warned that "safety issues . . . may be exacerbated with increased usage" of the stations if the cash for the improvements is not secured.

Between 2002 and 2007, the number of passenger journeys on Merseyrail grew by 15%, and passenger figures are expected to continue to grow.

It is these passenger number predictions which are proving to be the sticking point. At least one glimmer of hope is that the ORR has not refused the money outright, and has asked Network Rail to go back to the drawing board.

For the safety and convenience of everyone, it is important this vital issue is sorted out as quickly as possible so that our rail transport system can meet the demands of the future.