Readying Liverpool Baltic station to maximise connectivity

Transforming Liverpool's Baltic Triangle district with a new station and enhanced urban realm

Planning permission has been granted this spring for a new station in what has been recently described as “the 11th coolest neighbourhood in the world” by Time Out magazine. However, the design of the new Liverpool Baltic station, delivered by Mott MacDonald, aims to not just improve the area’s vibe, it also promises to enhance its economic opportunities too.

Set on the site of the former St James station, which closed in 1917, the new £100M station will return rail connections to the Baltic Triangle area – but with 21st century facilities. The project is a key part of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) mayor Steve Rotherham’s “Merseyrail for All” commitment to connect communities without existing access to the local rail network.

The Baltic Triangle neighbourhood to the south of central Liverpool is the city’s southern gateway and takes its name from the area’s maritime history which was mostly linked to trade with Baltic countries. The Baltic Triangle district has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years, and the new station is seen as key to improving social outcomes in the area.

Liverpool City Council cabinet member for growth and economy Cllr Nick Small says: “The new Liverpool Baltic station has huge potential to help drive the economic growth of this part of the city centre and will act as a vital service for the long-standing residential community.”

Long term vision

The designs for the station and the wider regeneration it will create were revealed last year during a public consultation.

The sub-surface station features state of the art accessibility facilities. Outside, the façade has been designed to complement the architecture of the surrounding area, including key views to historic buildings. Mott MacDonald commissioned Liverpool-based Owen Ellis Architects to work with us on the architectural design and station access. Surrounding the station will be new areas of public realm that deliver a step-free experience from street to train and prioritise walking and cycling as a means of reaching the station.

The idea to restore a station to the site was advocated by the LCRCA Long Term Rail Strategy, which Mott MacDonald was a lead author on in 2014. “This document identified the need for a station for the Liverpool Baltic area as being a priority,” explains Mott MacDonald technical principal for urban design Tom Roberts.

Following the strategy, the project team went on to support LCRCA with the regeneration framework for the Baltic Triangle, which included setting planning and urban design policies for the area.

“Our involvement in the station project restarted in mid-2022 with an initial scope to undertake the engineering railway design but this has evolved since to include wider aspects that facilitate transport and an urban integration study,” explains Mott MacDonald design manager for Liverpool Baltic, Danny Brand. The work has since progressed to include highways redevelopment, planning application support and a full business case submission to the Department for Transport.

The overall client for the project is LCRCA but involves engagement with Network Rail for the rail infrastructure and Merseyrail as the train operator.

Surrounding area

According to Tom, the project is more than just a station – the work undertaken by him and his colleagues helped develop how that station would fit into the surrounding area too.

Expansion of Mott MacDonald’s work beyond design of the station itself to include the public realm and highways redevelopment grew out of the urban integration strategy. According to Tom, this delivered a vision for how the station could be better stitched into the city.  As a result, surrounding highways have been narrowed, the size of the station forecourt was increased and pedestrianisation of two streets is also planned to further enhance the setting of the station.

Tom adds: “The design addresses the regeneration of the southern gateway to Liverpool, rather than just creating a new station in isolation.”

Similar to the station design itself, the public realm is designed to the highest standards of inclusive design. It will deliver a green active environment that will foster long-term improvements to health outcomes. Climate resilience will also be built into the design, including 45 new trees and extensive sustainable drainage systems to help manage surface water run-off. Tom says: “There is a real focus on improving the local environment.”

While the project has yet to secure planning permission and start construction, the design is already award-winning. The work delivered by Mott MacDonald and Owen Ellis Architects won the Healthy transport and mobility category at the Healthy City Design Awards.

Station challenges

Although the new station will be on the site of a previous one, the structure will be entirely new to ensure it meets the needs of modern travellers and safety requirements. However, the construction will pose an interesting engineering challenge, according to Danny, due to the location below ground level within a cutting.

“The cutting is 12m deep with natural sandstone exposed at the bottom and masonry walls at the top,” he says. “There are also masonry tunnels and overbridges within the station site, plus buried assets from the former St James station and an operational railway right next to the site.”

Danny acknowledges that construction will be challenging due to the location and logistics on such a tight plot in a city centre location, with planned highway works underway around the station at the same time. However, he points to the use of modern methods of construction in the design of the new station to move as much work off-site as possible to manage the inherent complexity.

Collaborative effort

For both Tom and Danny, what singles this project out from others they have worked on previously is the collaborative nature of the teams who have been involved to date and how the stakeholders have aligned around taking the project to the planning stage.

“We have designed this project with the client, rather than for them,” explains Tom.

Danny adds: “The local team – on the client, stakeholder and design side – are all very passionate about the work and it is that which has driven growth of the scheme from a station to a regeneration project.”

Announcement of planning consent in April 2025 means that Liverpool’s coolest neighbourhood will also soon have a very cool-looking station to match.