Liverpool – Chester advice

[super_sprinter]

Hi all

I'm travelling from Liverpool to Chester on Saturday. I'm staying fairly near James Street station, so I believe that that's a direct service that takes about 40 minutes.

However, are there any other routes available? I'm not in a rush and I'm open to travelling around a bit more.

Thanks in advance

 

[Merseysider]

From Lime Street, you could change at Warrington Bank Quay (Northern and ATW) or walk between Central and Bank Quay using TPE, EMT or Northern for the first leg.

You could also travel via Bidston, Upton and Shotton with Merseyrail & ATW.

If you're feeling really adventurous then you could get a Pendolino in and change at Crewe.

Note that the fare(s) for these will cost more and you may need to buy separate tickets.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Looking at brfares, there are "via Birkenhead"' "via Warrington", and "any permitted" fares for Liverpool to Chester. The Routeing Guide only lists map CH which gives a single valid route bus Birkenhead and Hooton. Of course "via Warrington" is valid via Warrington, but I wonder what the "any permittted" fare is for? Perhaps other routes, maybe via Shotton or Crewe, were once allowed but got sneakily withdrawn? I haven't go access to older versions of the Roueting Guide at the moment to check.

 

[northwichcat]

On Saturday morning (29th July) a very special option exists:

07:53 Chester to Liverpool South Parkway via the Halton curve. (That service only runs on Summer Saturdays and even then it does not usually extend to South Parkway.)

From South Parkway you have a choice of LM, TPE, Northern or EMT to Lime Street via Edge Hill, or Merseyrail to Central via Aigburth. You can then catch a connecting train to James Street from either Lime Street or James Street.

 

[Gareth Marston]

£7.35 SDR via Birkenhead
or
£10.80 CDR via Warrington

Or go via the Bidston Line and change onto North Wales Coat line @ Shotton SDR Liverpool Stations to Shotton £8.10, SDR Shotton to Chester £5.10.

Or SDR Liverpool Stations to Wrexham £11.80 valid via Bidston and Chester, you can BOJ anywhere on it as well.

 

[Merseysider]

The return half of an £8.10 Liverpool - Shotton ticket could be used to travel SHT-CTR, so no need for the extra ticket at £5.10, assuming the OP doesn't make the return journey via Shotton too.

On Saturday morning (29th July) a very special option exists...

Thanks for posting the heads up, I may be tempted myself, just for the novelty factor

 

[lyndhurst25]

Liverpool to Chester via Birkenhead anytime day return is £7.35. MerseyRail's DaySaver ticket, sold as a pseudo off-peak day return, is £5.10. However an all areas Saveaway costs only £5.20 and covers that journey plus lots more if you want to travel around a bit. You could even take the ferry to Birkenhead and travel on by train from there.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

What do they charge for a Chester-Liverpool return with one leg via the Halton Curve?
Presumably you need an Any Permitted fare.
It looks like the Any Permitted SDR is 10p more expensive than the Via Warrington fare at £11.90.
It will be interesting what happens when the new regular service via Halton Curve starts.
Nobody will want to travel via Warrington then.

 

[Merseysider]

Nobody will want to travel via Warrington then.

I don't think anybody does now? It's such a slower and circuitous route, not to mention more expensive.

 

[lyndhurst25]

I think that the OP wants to travel from Liverpool to Chester on a Saturday. Returning on the 0753 Chester to Liverpool service won't give them very long in Chester to do what they were planning to do there!

 

[super_sprinter]

Thanks for all the information and suggestions.

From Lime Street, you could change at Warrington Bank Quay (Northern and ATW) or walk between Central and Bank Quay using TPE, EMT or Northern for the first leg.

You could also travel via Bidston, Upton and Shotton with Merseyrail & ATW.

If you're feeling really adventurous then you could get a Pendolino in and change at Crewe.

Note that the fare(s) for these will cost more and you may need to buy separate tickets.

If I travel via Warrington Bank Quay, am I likely to be on a 319? I haven't travelled on the Liverpool – Manchester route since it was electrified so I would like to try that out if possible.

On Saturday morning (29th July) a very special option exists:

07:53 Chester to Liverpool South Parkway via the Halton curve. (That service only runs on Summer Saturdays and even then it does not usually extend to South Parkway.)

From South Parkway you have a choice of LM, TPE, Northern or EMT to Lime Street via Edge Hill, or Merseyrail to Central via Aigburth. You can then catch a connecting train to James Street from either Lime Street or James Street.

Thanks for this information. I will miss this as I am not likely to be leaving Liverpool until approx 0930.

£7.35 SDR via Birkenhead
or
£10.80 CDR via Warrington

Or go via the Bidston Line and change onto North Wales Coat line @ Shotton SDR Liverpool Stations to Shotton £8.10, SDR Shotton to Chester £5.10.

Or SDR Liverpool Stations to Wrexham £11.80 valid via Bidston and Chester, you can BOJ anywhere on it as well.

Liverpool to Wrexham with the BoJ sounds interesting, thanks.

Liverpool to Chester via Birkenhead anytime day return is £7.35. MerseyRail's DaySaver ticket, sold as a pseudo off-peak day return, is £5.10. However an all areas Saveaway costs only £5.20 and covers that journey plus lots more if you want to travel around a bit. You could even take the ferry to Birkenhead and travel on by train from there.

Thanks for the heads-up on this. I haven't had a chance to go on the ferry as yet so I'll definitely consider it.

I think that the OP wants to travel from Liverpool to Chester on a Saturday. Returning on the 0753 Chester to Liverpool service won't give them very long in Chester to do what they were planning to do there!

You're quite right, yes. I'm in Chester for the day. Probably should have mentioned that at the start.

If I get a Liverpool – Chester (any permitted) then presumably I can go via Warrington and then come back on the direct Merseyrail service?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think anybody does now? It's such a slower and circuitous route, not to mention more expensive.

It's more likely to have an effect on travel via Hooton - might the 4tph drop back to 2tph as demand reduces?

 

[Merseysider]

If I travel via Warrington Bank Quay, am I likely to be on a 319? I haven't travelled on the Liverpool – Manchester route since it was electrified so I would like to try that out if possible.

Whenever I've taken Northern from Liv-Wbq it's always been a 319 but I can't guarantee it, or others, obviously. It could well be a Pacer. You may find this thread useful.

It's more likely to have an effect on travel via Hooton - might the 4tph drop back to 2tph as demand reduces?

I hope not! I use this line almost daily.

 

[fowler9]

A little trip I often like to do is Liverpool to Crewe on a Virgin Return and then a return to Chester from there. Its not the cheapest but it is quite a pleasant journey if the trains aren't too busy.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's more likely to have an effect on travel via Hooton - might the 4tph drop back to 2tph as demand reduces?

There aren't all that many through passengers for Lime St, and the intermediate stations are busy, particularly Birkenhead Central and the loop stations.
The Runcorn route won't alter any of that.

 

[northwichcat]

Whenever I've taken Northern from Liv-Wbq it's always been a 319 but I can't guarantee it, or others, obviously. It could well be a Pacer. You may find this thread useful.

Keep an eye on https://www.journeycheck.com/northernrail as well. If it shows a Chat Moss service under train formations as 2 carriages instead of 4 then it probably means a 2 car 142/150/156 is filling in for a 4 car 319.

 

[northwichcat]

A little trip I often like to do is Liverpool to Crewe on a Virgin Return and then a return to Chester from there. Its not the cheapest but it is quite a pleasant journey if the trains aren't too busy.

Just a thought for a less conventional route you could also do Liverpool to Hartford, followed by 15 minutes walk to Greenbank (or a short bus ride) then Greenbank to Chester.

Also I don't think it's been mentioned if you're travelling with someone else you can get a Duo fare on some routes where the fare is set by Northern, which is 1.5 times the cost of an Off-Peak Day Return without requiring a Two Together railcard. However, I've just checked and it's not available for Liverpool to Chester Route:Warrington.

 

[Starmill]

On Saturday morning (29th July) a very special option exists:

07:53 Chester to Liverpool South Parkway via the Halton curve. (That service only runs on Summer Saturdays and even then it does not usually extend to South Parkway.)

From South Parkway you have a choice of LM, TPE, Northern or EMT to Lime Street via Edge Hill, or Merseyrail to Central via Aigburth. You can then catch a connecting train to James Street from either Lime Street or James Street.

Stops at Frodsham and Helsby too! How unusual!

It would be very interesting to board at Frodsham and ask for a single to Runcorn...

 

[Camden]

Hi all

I'm travelling from Liverpool to Chester on Saturday. I'm staying fairly near James Street station, so I believe that that's a direct service that takes about 40 minutes.

However, are there any other routes available? I'm not in a rush and I'm open to travelling around a bit more.

Thanks in advance

If you're looking to travel about rather than just get there, I'd suggest you go into the Merseyrail station and ask for an All Areas Saveaway ticket. It's only about £5, and only about 20p more than the Merseyrail only one they'd sell you to get you to Chester, and basically it's the equivalent of an all zones travelcard but for Liverpool rather than London.

You can go anywhere in the Liverpool area on train, bus or ferry for the day, as well as get to Chester by Merseyrail when you're done.

The yellow bit on the map is where you can use on bus, train and ferry, and the greyed bit where it's only valid for train.

http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Merseyrail 1108.jpg

If I travel via Warrington Bank Quay, am I likely to be on a 319? I haven't travelled on the Liverpool – Manchester route since it was electrified so I would like to try that out if possible.

Most of the red City Line services to Earlestown and Wigan will be operated by 319s.

 

[northwichcat]

Stops at Frodsham and Helsby too! How unusual!

It would be very interesting to board at Frodsham and ask for a single to Runcorn...

It's something Northern do every year in association with NCRUG but it's normally a few weeks earlier. In the past NCRUG have organised a vintage Crossville bus to take passengers back but they aren't doing that this year.

 

[fowler9]

Just a thought for a less conventional route you could also do Liverpool to Hartford, followed by 15 minutes walk to Greenbank (or a short bus ride) then Greenbank to Chester.

Also I don't think it's been mentioned if you're travelling with someone else you can get a Duo fare on some routes where the fare is set by Northern, which is 1.5 times the cost of an Off-Peak Day Return without requiring a Two Together railcard. However, I've just checked and it's not available for Liverpool to Chester Route:Warrington.

Cheers for the suggestion, I will give that a go for a change.

 

[fowler9]

If you're looking to travel about rather than just get there, I'd suggest you go into the Merseyrail station and ask for an All Areas Saveaway ticket. It's only about £5, and only about 20p more than the Merseyrail only one they'd sell you to get you to Chester, and basically it's the equivalent of an all zones travelcard but for Liverpool rather than London.

You can go anywhere in the Liverpool area on train, bus or ferry for the day, as well as get to Chester by Merseyrail when you're done.

The yellow bit on the map is where you can use on bus, train and ferry, and the greyed bit where it's only valid for train.

http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Merseyrail 1108.jpg


Most of the red City Line services to Earlestown and Wigan will be operated by 319s.

I don't know if you are one for bashing lesser used track but as a brief aside you can go from Lime Street to South Parkway on a Preston to South Parkway service. None stop and uses the slow lines from Lime Street to Parkway, also pretty much the only trains that use Platform 4 at Parkway (Some of the Liverpool to Birminghams use Platform 3, few come in to Platform 4 on the way in to Liverpool. That said there will be Pendos stopping at platform 4 soon, I'll have to give that a go).

 

[Merseysider]

Merseyrail's reliability on the Chester line seems to have gone down the pan in recent weeks.

If you do end up taking this route in either direction, allow plenty of extra time.

 

[fowler9]

Merseyrail's reliability on the Chester line seems to have gone down the pan in recent weeks.

If you do end up taking this route in either direction, allow plenty of extra time.

It is by far the quickest route though with the most frequent service if somewhat lacking in scenery and quality of rolling stock (Sorry 507's and 508's).

 

[Merseysider]

It is by far the quickest route though with the most frequent service if somewhat lacking in scenery and quality of rolling stock (Sorry 507's and 508's).

Absolutely. I'd take a 507 over a 142 any day.

 

[fowler9]

Absolutely. I'd take a 507 over a 142 any day.

Can't argue with that. Ha ha.

 

[super_sprinter]

Hi all

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Upon noticing the Heritage Centre at Crewe on the way up to Liverpool, I decided to travel via Crewe so that I could have a look around.

I went down from Lime Street on a London Midland service to Birmingham New Street. I spent a little time at the Heritage Centre and had a look at the APT and the other bits before returning to the station and taking the Arriva Trains Wales 158 to Chester. A nice pleasant chug through the countryside. I went back to Crewe on a Voyager and then a London Midland service back to Lime Street.

A good day. Thanks for the suggestions - I don't think I would have thought about travelling via Crewe without the mention of it on here.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Looking at brfares, there are "via Birkenhead"' "via Warrington", and "any permitted" fares for Liverpool to Chester. The Routeing Guide only lists map CH which gives a single valid route bus Birkenhead and Hooton. Of course "via Warrington" is valid via Warrington, but I wonder what the "any permittted" fare is for? Perhaps other routes, maybe via Shotton or Crewe, were once allowed but got sneakily withdrawn? I haven't go access to older versions of the Roueting Guide at the moment to check.

I have dug out my old copies of the Routeing guide and yes, prior to the big October 2013 re-write, Liverpool to Chester was valid via Shotton (and also via Shotton + Wrexham). I hope that ATOC sought the required permissions to change this, but I suspect that they didn't. FoI request anyone?

 

[fowler9]

Hi all

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Upon noticing the Heritage Centre at Crewe on the way up to Liverpool, I decided to travel via Crewe so that I could have a look around.

I went down from Lime Street on a London Midland service to Birmingham New Street. I spent a little time at the Heritage Centre and had a look at the APT and the other bits before returning to the station and taking the Arriva Trains Wales 158 to Chester. A nice pleasant chug through the countryside. I went back to Crewe on a Voyager and then a London Midland service back to Lime Street.

A good day. Thanks for the suggestions - I don't think I would have thought about travelling via Crewe without the mention of it on here.

Glad you enjoyed it. Like I said it is far from the cheapest or quickest way of doing Liverpool to Chester but it is quite pleasant and you get to see a nice bit of the Cheshire Plain.