Comment: Central Station revamp long overdue

Nov 18 2009 by William Leece, Liverpool Daily Post

LET’S not beat about the bush. Central Station, in Liverpool, is a dump, an embarrassment to Liverpool and to MerseyRail, and the sooner it has serious money spent on it the better.

The Central station that we know now is a product of the mid-1970s, created on the site of a 19th-century railway terminus that, if it stood today, would probably be a listed building and an exhibition space the city could be proud of.

Now, however, we have the worst of all worlds. At the upper level, the 1970s remodelling of the old station platforms for the Northern Line is starting to look shabby and tired, while down below, at deep level, the Wirral Line platforms feel remote and forlorn.

It’s not MerseyRail’s fault, just something they inherited. And, to be fair, when the local rail network in Liverpool was remodelled over 30 years ago it introduced a new and welcome era of local public transport.

But, up above ground, Liverpool has changed dramatically in those 30 and more years. The city’s shopping centre has changed almost beyond recognition, reflecting a new prosperity, there is a new bus station, a ferry terminal, Lime Street Station has been revamped, and the airport has been rebuilt twice over.

For many coming into Liverpool to work, play and shop, though, Central Station is still their point of entry to the city. Regulars probably pass through without taking it in, so used are they to the shabbiness around them, but first-timers must wonder what sort of a place they have arrived in. And first impressions often count.

Now, at last, there seems to be some national backing for a long-overdue refurbishment of Central. Let us hope the details are sorted out quickly, so we can have a station that once again we can be proud of.