Direct rail link from north Wales to Liverpool to launch in 2026
Improved rail services between north Wales and Merseyside are being hailed as a major step forward in strengthening the regions’ economic and cultural ties.
A new direct train service from Llandudno to Liverpool will launch in May 2026, while infrastructure improvements at Padeswood will increase both freight and passenger capacity on the Wrexham–Liverpool route.
The plans form part of an ambitious programme, dubbed Network North Wales , which aims to deliver an integrated, high-frequency public transport system, centred on a North Wales Metro and linking with Merseyside, Cheshire and beyond.
First Minister Eluned Morgan and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram met at Llandudno Junction station alongside Vernon Everitt, Chair of Transport for Wales, to discuss the developments on Friday.
Exciting
The First Minister said: “There are exciting developments ahead on rail in north Wales. With our £800m investment in new trains, the vast majority of TfW services in the region are already being run with brand-new rolling stock. Improved links to Merseyside are on the horizon, with a direct train service between Llandudno and Liverpool passing through here at Llandudno Junction.
“There is a long shared history between north Wales and Liverpool, and these links can be further cemented with improved transport connections, which will be a real boost for the economy.”
Mr Rotheram highlighted the importance of better transport to driving growth: “The Liverpool City Region and north Wales share deep historic, economic and cultural ties – and improved transport links will only strengthen that partnership in the future.
“Creating better connections across the North West and into north Wales is central to our vision for a more productive economy. Through the Northern Arc, underpinned by the Liverpool–Manchester railway, we could unlock up to £90 billion in economic growth and support the development of around half a million new homes.
“These new connections will bring people closer to opportunities – whether that’s a new job, visiting family, or travelling to our football stadiums, the Eisteddfod, or a night out in town.”
Bus services
Transport for Wales Chair Vernon Everitt said investment in rail was only the beginning: “At TfW, we’re investing £800m in new trains, and over the coming years we’ll improve local and regional bus services through franchising.
“We’re working quickly with partners to deliver Network North Wales, with better cross-border connectivity and simpler pay-as-you-go travel. This exciting work will boost economic growth and connect more people and communities to jobs, homes and wider opportunity.”
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Back in 2019 there was supposed to be a direct train service from Wrexham to Liverpool Lime Street via the Halton Curve. This being part of a Cardiff Liverpool direct service. Somehow totally forgotten about, which is a shame as it could be a similar service as the Cardiff Manchester one.
I am very supportive of this plan as it probably is better than a Cardiff to Liverpool link for the overall Welsh economy.
Liverpool has excellent shops, museums and businesses that individuals who live in North Wales can access; few people in Rhyl will commute to work in Cardiff, but they are more likely to work in Liverpool / Chester / Manchester.
There seems to be a never ending fixation with commuting. In the south it’s about everyone needing to travel into Cardiff. In the north it now looks like everything will get centred on the Liverpool- Manchester region with yet more commuting. Doesn’t anyone in government or business ever think about locating their activities away from these overheated areas ?. Try incentivizing enterprises to locate further into North Wales or at the west end of the M4.
North Wales is very focused on job creation https://businessnewswales.com/historic-bodlondeb-to-become-entrepreneurial-hub-for-conwy/
On LinkedIn there has been discussions held on how to grow businesses in central Bangor – not tourism.
We live in a work from anywhere culture and my comments are about better rail links between population centres.
I am not totally against the link but again Wrexham is being bypassed despite the link being promised years ago. A Cardiff Liverpool direct service via Wrexham would be better economically than just a commuting service. Long distance commuting is not good for local economies as the jobs and the services just get centralised and local business gets decimated as happened as the A55 opened. The only reason I want to go to Liverpool is to access the airport to escape for a time, but that is not on offer.
Meanwhile if you want to get to Cardiff from Holyhead, or to Carmarthen from Pwllheli, your best bet is the weekly stagecoach.
I know what you mean it’s mad how in the 80’s the Ffestiniog railway ran 4 or 5 trains a day to Blaenau which met the BR train there at Blaenau and now the Ffestiniog railway is down to two or three trains aday with a three hours wait for trains .
About time the Welsh government put the connections back together again.
Transport for Wales has only been in existence for a few years, so needs to develop / mature.
Personally I would focus on 4 trains per hour from Swansea to Cardiff Airport to grow the airports passenger numbers / reduce traffic on M4 and so support the overall growth of Welsh economy from more flights.
Nearly 10 years since creation what is your timescale for progress on issues that have been around and knew about for decades.
4 Trains an hour from Swansea to Rhoose ( There’s no Railway Station at Cardiff Airport) to serve the 2nd least used Capital City Airport in the world after Pyongyang North Korea.
1807 first railway Swansea and Mumbles…218 years of fair paying rail transport…standing on the shoulders…
Railways were invented 18 years later in England, I saw a BBC programme about it. Mumbles and Merthyr were just a coincidence.
Great news for retired Liverpool ice cream lovers. Meanwhile an economically useful route should run from Hull to Holyhead with a connecting high speed passenger ferry to Dublin city centre.
Best description I have seen.
Well that’s something new – a transport route east into England…. It’s time for a more comprehensive rail link between North and South Wales.
A far more useful link would be an all-day, all-week fast service from Holyhead to Crewe. Crewe gives connections to all over the UK, whereas what we get instead is a tortuously slow service to Shrewsbury. Liverpool is fine as a destination but doesn’t give you the connections into national inter-city services that Crewe does.