Borderlands line

Borderlands line
A Class 150 DMU on the Borderlands line near Bidston
Overview
Other name(s)	Bidston–Wrexham line Wrexham–Bidston line
Native name	Llinell y Gororau Lein y Gororau Llinell Wrecsam–Bidston
Status	Open to passenger and freight use
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Wrexham County Borough Flintshire Cheshire Merseyside
Termini	Wrexham Central Bidston (Birkenhead)
Connecting lines	Shrewsbury–Chester line North Wales Coast line Wirral line (Merseyrail)
Stations	15, with Wrexham General and Shotton as interchanges with mainline services, and Bidston connecting with Merseyrail
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail Wales and Borders franchise
Operator(s)	Transport for Wales
Rolling stock	Class 230 D-Train Class 197
Technical
Line length	27 mi (43 km)
Number of tracks	Double track throughout except Wrexham General to Wrexham Central
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map (Click to expand)[1] Show map v t e Legend Wirral line to Birkenhead Bidston Bidston Sidings Wirral line to West Kirby Upton Woodchurch (proposed) M53 motorway Storeton Heswall A540 Merseytravel limit Neston Birkenhead Railway Burton Point England Wales border Sealand Rifle Range Halt Birkenhead Junction Golf Club Platform   Shotton Paper Deeside Parkway (proposed) A548 Deeside Industrial Park Chester & Connah's Quay Rly Chester Golf Club Halt Hawarden Bridge Hawarden Bridge over River Dee Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway Shotton North Wales Coast Line A494 Hawarden A55 Buckley Castle Cement Hope Exchange Chester–Denbigh line Penyffordd Sidings Penyffordd Hope River Alyn Caergwrle Cefn-y-Bedd A541 Cegidog Viaduct over River Cegidog Gwersyllt A483 Shrewsbury–Chester line to Chester Wrexham and Minera Railway Wheatsheaf Junction Gwersyllt Junction WM&CQ Brymbo branch Rhosddu Halt Wrexham General Shrewsbury–Chester line to Shrewsbury Wrexham Central Wrexham and Ellesmere Rly Show route diagram

The Borderlands line (Welsh: Llinell y Gororau^[2] or Lein y Gororau), also known as the Bidston–Wrexham or Wrexham–Bidston^[i] line, is a railway line between Bidston on the Wirral Peninsula in England and Wrexham Central in the north-east of Wales. Passenger train services are part of the Wales & Borders franchise and are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The line connects to the Merseyrail network at Bidston, the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton and the Shrewsbury–Chester line at Wrexham General. Parts of the line in Wales are used by freight trains, serving Deeside Industrial Park and the Hanson Cement works to the south of Buckley.

The line is part of Transport for Wales' North Wales Metro improvement programme and is also referred to in England as the Mid Wirral line,^[3] as part of the line runs in the middle of the Wirral peninsula.

The line is operated by the Class 230^[4] and the Class 197.^[5]

There have been various proposals for the line to be fully or partially integrated with the electrified Merseyrail network to increase services towards Liverpool. Past proposals for electrification on the line were deemed unfeasible due to costs. The potential introduction of Merseyrail's Class 777 on the line could expand services on the line into Liverpool.

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