Better Transport

Liverpool South Parkway (LSP) is Merseyrail's 'most modern station in Europe'. Located in what was one of Liverpool's most deprived areas, Speke Garston, some seven miles south of the city centre, LSP is a multi-modal interchange project forming part of a huge regeneration scheme. The station opened in June 2006 and levels of use are around double the number of people predicted. By October 2008, 26,000 people were using the station each week, compared with just 10,000 who used the two stations that the interchange replaced. As well, the local bus operator has extended a bus route into the station to cater for increased demand.

The problem
The problem was how Speke Garston was to cope with future transport demands.

During the 1980s, the communities of Speke and Garston suffered from loss of heavy manufacturing and port employment. The area was in steep decline, with high unemployment, poor housing, poor educational attainment and half of its households living in poverty. Against this background, a tri-partite agency approach was formed, with separate but complementary aims. A successful partnership, the agencies together have achieved a transformation of one of the UK’s largest regeneration areas, now known as Speke Garston.

New jobs and housing, improved quality of life, and expansion of Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport have all generated new demands for travel in and around Speke Garston. Up to 11,000 new jobs are planned. The regeneration agencies were conscious that access was a constraint on future growth, and Merseytravel was keen to encourage public transport access.

The solution
Merseytravel steered a partnership to look at how to meet the travel needs of the area. Appraisal and local consultation identified a new station as the appropriate transport solution. However, the project was never ‘sold’ as simply a station project. Instead, the Liverpool South Parkway project was presented as a multimodal transport gateway to the Speke Garston regeneration area, including John Lennon Airport. The project had to be attractive to motorists, to achieve a switch from car to public transport, and to be socially inclusive, with good links to the local community via flexible bus services. As a bonus, the project is a showcase for low-carbon construction and energy use.

The project includes an excellent point of access to the national rail network; a single integrated booking office and information point, encompassing bus, rail and airport services; a bus station; a 24-hour high frequency airport link; a 240-space park and ride facility and secure cycle and motorcycle parking.

Environmental aspects of LSP include:

• Use of waste and recycled products in the building construction instead of environmentally damaging materials, for instance waste slag in place of cement
• Rainwater harvesting, aided by the distinctive slope of the building’s roof
• Renewable energy systems, including geo-thermal heat pumps and solar photovoltaic cells, to reduce ongoing carbon emissions and energy costs.

These environmentally friendly innovations formed part of the case for funding.

Merseytravel continues to foster good community relations at the station. For example, local schoolchildren planted a wildflower area at the station in June 2007. The project has won a number of awards, not just from the rail sector but also reflecting LSP’s environmental and community credentials.

The funding

The steering group led by Merseytravel also included Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Land Development Company, Government Office for the North West, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Network Rail and train operators Northern, Central and Merseyrail Electrics. This range of partners contributed a varied skills base and ensured that wide-ranging outputs were incorporated into the project from the outset, which led to a comprehensive approach to securing funding.
The total project cost was £32 million. The perspectives and financial contributions of the various funding partners were:

• Merseytravel: The agency contributed £14 million in pursuit of its goal to encourage public transport in Liverpool
• Liverpool City Council: Funding from a city council can be difficult to justify on transport benefits alone. The city council’s contribution of £1 million recognises the scheme’s contribution to economic development, social inclusion and regeneration
• Department for Transport (DfT): Securing DfT support required some flexibility on the part of Merseytravel. The DfT was not directly funding rail-based schemes in 2004. In this year, the LSP project met DfT funding criteria by downplaying the rail elements of the project and placing a strong emphasis on the multimodal role of the scheme as a gateway linking buses, regeneration opportunities and the airport. Some £6 million was raised from the DfT in this way
• Government Office of the North West: Regional Government offices often play a key role in the development of major public transport initiatives and a key role in terms of European funds. The potential value of European funding means early involvement of regional government offices can be an astute move, as in this case. European Regional Development Funding of £11 million was secured with the support of the Government Office

Innovation is often important in the European funding process. LSP met the innovation criterion by embracing environmentally friendly building technologies. There is a growing enthusiasm across the European Union for raising the profile of low-carbon technologies. The current revamp of European funding presents a range of opportunities for capital projects relevant to the rail industry. Station buildings are prime candidates, because they tend to offer good accessibility and to be high profile in their communities.

Lessons learnt
This project would not have got off the ground without the wider regeneration scheme. Its success is also due in part to Merseytravel’s inclusive and flexible approach, involving the appropriate stakeholders at the outset and tailoring the project specification and outputs to be attractive to funders.

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