Merseyrail’s new ‘powerless’ station at Headbolt Lane opens tomorrow.

Running on an extension of the line from the previous Merseyrail terminus at Kirkby, the new trains will be battery powered and so the new line has no third rail.

Headbolt Lane, which has cost £80 million, will open with an hourly service to Liverpool Central, but this will be increased gradually to four trains an hour.

It is hoped that as the battery trains continue to arrive in Liverpool, Merseyrail services could be extended to Manchester, Wrexham, Warrington, Preston and Runcorn, because the new trains do not need a 750V conductor rail.

Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said: ‘As a Kirkby native, I know how long local people have been talking about a station at Headbolt Lane. Thanks to devolution and the power it gives us to shape our own destiny, we’ve turned that talk into reality.

‘We’ve invested £80 million in this fully accessible, state of the art station, and it will be the first to be served by our new battery powered trains. These trains are the first of their kind in the country and will help us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, paving the way for a cleaner, greener integrated London-style transport network.

‘Headbolt Lane station sets a new standard for public transport in this country, and it’s the very least that our residents deserve. We’re incredibly grateful to local people and passengers on the Kirkby line for their patience and understanding throughout this project. I hope they’ll agree with me that it’s been worth the wait.’

Great Western Railway bought some battery-powered rolling stock from the former company Vivarail in February this year, and is hoping to introduce battery trains on the West Ealing to Greenford branch in west London.

However, at the time GWR engineering director Simon Green said: ‘We’ve been working closely with the Vivarail team on this exciting project for some time, and we are delighted we have been able to step in and make sure its important work can continue.

‘There have clearly been some setbacks that mean we will need to review the existing plans and timescales, but we will continue to work with Network Rail and the Department for Transport to get the project back on track.’