Liverpool WCML tree felling

[urban]

Seems Network Rail are in the process of clearing trees along the railway embankment from Edge Hill to South Parkway:

Woodland teams tackle trees to reduce rail delays through Liverpool

Woodland management teams will soon begin a £2m project aimed at controlling vegetation and reducing delays on a key section of railway line in Merseyside.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Woodland management teams will soon begin a £2m project aimed at controlling vegetation and reducing delays on a key section of railway line in Merseyside.
Network Rail staff will begin the project – between Speke and Edge Hill – later this month.

The work is vital to ensuring that rail services can pass through the area without being disrupted, especially during increasingly common periods of extreme weather.

The project will involve keeping immediate trackside areas clear of vegetation and removing or reducing any trees on railway land that are within striking distance of the track and therefore posing a hazard to passing trains.
Stephen Cooper, Network Rail infrastructure maintenance protection coordinator, said: “This is vitally important work which will ensure we can run trains through this area with as few delays and as little disruption as possible. However, this work is going to create a change to how the railway looks in some areas.

I suppose this will save on tree maintenance costs. I understand the reasoning but it is a shame, it was a nice strip of mature greenery through the city and would have had many birds nesting at this time. For the areas they've done so far it looks like they're chopping down everything regardless of how close it is to the line, so it now looks quite barren. Lots of complaints on my local facebook group!

 

[yoyothehobo]

Ah, facebook groups. The inevitable complaints about trees being removed mixed with the same people in a few months complaining about leaves and tree falls delaying the railway...

 

[Bald Rick]

I suppose this will save on tree maintenance costs.

This is tree maintenance!

 

[The exile]

Seems Network Rail are in the process of clearing trees along the railway embankment from Edge Hill to South Parkway:

Woodland teams tackle trees to reduce rail delays through Liverpool

Woodland management teams will soon begin a £2m project aimed at controlling vegetation and reducing delays on a key section of railway line in Merseyside.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

I suppose this will save on tree maintenance costs. I understand the reasoning but it is a shame, it was a nice strip of mature greenery through the city and would have had many birds nesting at this time. For the areas they've done so far it looks like they're chopping down everything regardless of how close it is to the line, so it now looks quite barren. Lots of complaints on my local facebook group!

Surprised they can do it at this time of year. Nesting season and all that!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Surprised they can do it at this time of year. Nesting season and all that!

Yes - I am surprised too but trees do not belong on railway embankments- end of---

If greenery is required, replace with bushes.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Is it being done by three Irishmen (tree fellers)?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Surprised they can do it at this time of year. Nesting season and all that!

If there's a safety issue, they would be able to do the work at any time.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Ah, facebook groups. The inevitable complaints about trees being removed mixed with the same people in a few months complaining about leaves and tree falls delaying the railway...

I can't wait to see their reaction to the next blockade. For what amounts to 'spring cleaning' of the OHLE (with good reason, just not what the general public would find acceptable)

 

[TUC]

There is a balance with being good neighbours and the aesthetics left after tree maintenance. Near us, there is a debate online regarding tree maintenance in Copley, West Yorkshire, on how brutally bare and lacking in supporting privacy the trees now are, as illustrated in the attached photo.

 

[SargeNpton]

Most of the trees within the railway boundary weren't there forty years ago. Unfortunately, what was once routine to maintain the trackside greenery got paused and we are now seeing the consequences.

 

[DelW]

Most of the trees within the railway boundary weren't there forty years ago. Unfortunately, what was once routine to maintain the trackside greenery got paused and we are now seeing the consequences.

Indeed, it's very noticeable when looking at pictures of railways up to the 1960s just how bare the embankments and cuttings were. I remember the practice of burning the banks, setting controlled fires to burn off undergrowth to avoid accidental fires being started by burning embers from steam locos.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Indeed, it's very noticeable when looking at pictures of railways up to the 1960s just how bare the embankments and cuttings were. I remember the practice of burning the banks, setting controlled fires to burn off undergrowth to avoid accidental fires being started by burning embers from steam locos.

I lived on the embankment of the WCML 4 miles north of Preston from early 1966 to mid 1975. This was absolutely true and sometimes there were accidental fires too. Grass, shrubbery etc were all kept in check.

 

[Acathater]

Surprised they can do it at this time of year. Nesting season and all that!

They can't unless the site is surveyed for breeding birds first and nothing found - which is unlikely at this time of year.
If there's any possibility of birds nesting then the felling is totally illegal

 

[childwallblues]

Tree felling is also taking place adjacent to the down slow line between Speke Junction and Garston Junction. In other words on the site of the old 8C Speke Junction steam shed which closed nearly 60 years ago.

 

[Sheridan]

Tree felling is also taking place adjacent to the down slow line between Speke Junction and Garston Junction. In other words on the site of the old 8C Speke Junction steam shed which closed nearly 60 years ago.

I noticed that this week - there’s a big old metal tower that was presumably partly hidden in the trees that’s very visible now as a result. Does anyone know what it was?

 

[Elecman]

Lighting tower??

 

[YorkshireBear]

They can't unless the site is surveyed for breeding birds first and nothing found - which is unlikely at this time of year.
If there's any possibility of birds nesting then the felling is totally illegal

NR will always have ecologists on site for these types of works to check for nests.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Apr 2026 ==

There is a balance with being good neighbours and the aesthetics left after tree maintenance. Near us, there is a debate online regarding tree maintenance in Copley, West Yorkshire, on how brutally bare and lacking in supporting privacy the trees now are, as illustrated in the attached photo.

It won't look remotely like that in 12 months. It's hard to leave the site with low level Vegetation in place.

 

[Geeves]

Is there any place you can see the sites selected for attention or is it random?

There are countless bridges and viaducts with fully grown trees growing out of the sides, on top of the actual viaducts or out of the metal work. All the major cities are suffering horrendously from Glasgow all the way down to the SW. Manchester has a good amount of viaducts and metal bridges all in states of disrepair. I understand keeping the overheads clear but it seems the priorities are wrong.

Will it take a collapse before anything is done?

 

[rwblake]

About 6 months ago Green Signals interviewed Network Rail's biodiversity strategy manager about vegetation. It's not directly related as the issue of excessive vegetation on infrastructure lile viaducts is only briefly mentioned. However it is an interesting take on benefits of vegetation such as deterring trespass, flooding protection, and why completely grassy embankments aren't necessary in the same way as during steam.

 

[childwallblues]

I noticed that this week - there’s a big old metal tower that was presumably partly hidden in the trees that’s very visible now as a result. Does anyone know what it was?

I will hopefully be going past Speke Junction on Thursday so will take another look.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 May 2026 ==

Ging south between Allerton Junction and Speke Junction yesterday tree clearing appears to have been finished alongside the tracks. However further site clearance has been done at Garston Junction south of the down track.

 

[childwallblues]

On my trip yesterday I noted that a lot of vegetation has been cleared adjacent to the down slow tracks between West Allerton and Mossley Hill.

 

[childwallblues]

Due to the recent hot weather I have not been out but yasterday I visited Liverpool South Parkway Station. The men in orange suits have removed the vegetation next to the down slow and in the car park perimeter next to the track.
Hopefully I will travel up towards West Allerton Station tomorrow and see if any further works have taken place.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Jun 2026 ==

Due to the recent hot weather I have not been out but yasterday I visited Liverpool South Parkway Station. The men in orange suits have removed the vegetation next to the down slow and in the car park perimeter next to the track.
Hopefully I will travel up towards West Allerton Station tomorrow and see if any further works have taken place.

There appears to be no consisteny as to were themen in orange work. Yesterday I spotted them on the embankment adjacent to the up fast line between the long closed Sefton Park ad Wavertree Stations. The shrubs/trees are particularly dense at this location next to The Mystery.