One gripe I do always have about Blundellsands train station is that it's sort of plonked in the…read moremiddle of nowhere (as far as a mere Formbyite like myself is concerned). It's basically sat in the middle of a load of estates and I nearly always manage to get lost en route to there when I'm getting the train back home. Location issues aside, Blundellsands is a fairly pleasant station these days. It has recently undergone a small refurbishment which included the installation of indoor seating areas, ideal for those chilly winter nights when you're waiting for the last train and you're looking to avoid the drunken old man who is just dying to tell you his life story and what life choices you should make. With the recent refurbishment also came the electronic boards that inform you how long a wait you have before the next train (can you even remember a time when we didn't have them? It seems positively prehistoric to think of a time when you had to guess whether you'd just missed a train or not) and the little kiosk just outside is a good place to stop off for a drink or snack if you're stuck waiting for a while.

This is a really nice station, it's always kept clean and tidy and I've never experienced any sort…read moreof disturbance here. The lines leads from Southport to Hunts Cross and while there are no direct intercity links, the destinations include major links such as Sandhills for connections to Ormskirk and Kirkby, Liverpool Central for connections to Lime Street and the Wirral Line and connecting trains to Preston and Blackpool can be caught from Southport. Blundellsands has recently undergone quite extensive renovation with the original waiting rooms being heated, new cycle storage, a customer toilet and a vast overhaul of the parking facilities, which are free to use. There is one automated ticket machine, a payphone and a small kiosk with all the essentials. My only criticism of Blundellsands Station is the disabled facilities, while there is a ramped subway enabling access of prams and cycles, I don't feel this is good enough for disabled customers. My grandmother s wheelchair bound and finds the ramp far to steep to navigate; when using the train we are forced to continue to the next station whose two railway lines are separated by the platform, change trains and come back again! Considering the number of retirement and nursing homes surrounding Blundellsands this inability to access the station is absurd. The staff at Blundellsands are invariably pleasant and sociable, they have worked at this station for years and always remember a face.!

Southport Railway Station is one of the most central Railway Stations I've seen, it seems as soon…read moreas you get out of the platform you're on Chapel Street, in Southport town centre. Southport is a large seaside town with a population of around 100,000 people in the Merseyside area. The station its-self is mainly used for Merseyrail, who manage the station, the only other operator who has trains from this station is Northern Railway, most of those services terminate here and have services from either Manchester station, most of which seem to go to Wigan Wallgate and other smaller stations, my return train even would carry on to Huddersfield. The train journey time to Manchester is around 1 hour and 12 minutes and the train its-self I found to be really cheap, with even cities closer charging more, for example, a ticket from Manchester to Sheffield would be almost double than one to Southport. Talking more about the station, it is obviously in a very central location and it also had a satisfactory number of staff working around the station, and some form of newsagents/ticket sale shop. The station also is one of the very few (or only?) stations which allows you to have unbooked assistance, for example, if you're planning with a wheelchair and needs ramps etc, one of the few stations, where you don't always need to prebooked (but you can if you want!), is Southport here. In terms of long-distance travel and number of services, Southport doesn't offer much, the best route to London would be getting a train to either Preston or Wigan Wallgate first, and then walking onto Wigan North Western which is just down the road from Wallgate and provides services to longer destinations such as London and Glasgow. The station did seem quite clean, although a little basic, the location being so central made up for that a little. This station is very good for a small town like Southport - with location and being able to have unbooked assistance being a highlight, but it isn't a big station which could make longer journies a little tricky, and I didn't notice a large number of ticket machines etc, so a three-star rating would really suit Southport station.

Southport Railway Station may not have the modern look about it, but it certainly appears to be…read morewell maintained and has the traditional image. The station is logically laid out which makes it easy for passengers to enter and exit as it is intuitive for the stranger. Since it is a semi-enclosed station, there isn't too much pollution which enables plenty of fresh air to drift in. As you get off a train, you walk through a gate where you'll pass through a small and dimly lit shopping mall before you exit to the main town. It couldn't be more convenient for the local or the tourist as everything is so central. With the Boulevard and Promenade just a few minutes walk away, trains are an affordable and ideal form of transport.

This little railway station is one of the many tucked in along the way from Liverpool to Southport…read more It's well kept and the staff are friendly and helpful. But there's not a whole lot to see here. Apparently within a few miles there are golf clubs, a rugby club, and other attractions and places of interest, but for how far they are from the station you may as well take a bus or car to get there instead.

Bootle New Strand Train Station is situated behind the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre…read more It is an open air station which gives great views across to Bootle Docks and beyond. As it is so open it can be a little chilly at times, but there are a couple of shelters which can be used to get out of the elements. The station is clean and tidy and seems to be well maintained. The train information is displayed clearly and the information and timetables are available on the platform as well as at the entrance below. Like many stations on the northern line is doesn't have a shop or toilets but the shopping centre is only a stones throw away.

Bootle New Strand Station is a small train station with very little, if anything, to offer, except…read morethat it's situated very near to Bootle Bus Station and the Strand Shopping Centre. This is your port of call for the shopping centre, but other than that there's not much reason to stop off here. (Unless of course you live here.) The station is clean, and staff seemed friendly the few times I've been to this station. No toilets, café, or shop.

I very much agree with the previous review on this one as I did find the station small, limited…read morewith facilities and quite frankly a bland stop by. I have nothing against Maghull because it is a small, peaceful village where you can take relaxing strolls such as down the long stretch of canal nearby. However, its train station could do with further improvements considering Maghull is one of the more decent areas in Liverpool.

This is a small train station with two outdoor platforms. It's mainly a commuter station. There's a…read morenew market onsite selling newspapers, sweets, etc which is useful. The staff are helpful. It's lacking a few things though as there is not an onsite toilet and there is very limited parking. This station is more like a 2.5 as I think there is a need for improvement, but considering it's a small station, it's perfectly fine, so I rounded up to 3.

With design and decor dating back to the turn of the 20th century Birkdale Station is a blast from…read morethe past. Juxtaposed to the town of Birkdale, it offers easy access to Brikdale from anywhere on Mersey Rail.

This is a small little train station with only one platform on one side--it's kind of eerie in that…read morewhen the Kirkby line ends you can get off the train and walk a little way down the platform to board a new train to get a train headed toward Manchester, I think ... or some other town? Someone correct me if I'm wrong on where it goes. It's a small station with not much else besides the basics. There is a pretty good car park, though, and a bus stop within the station grounds which is very handy. You can also walk to the town centre from the train station by heading straight across the street and up Kirkby Row, then up Cherryfield Drive. It's about a mile I think or maybe less.

Rice Lane Station is one of those dinky little railway stations with nothing but a platform and a…read moreticket booth. There is really nothing to see here. I used to live near by and this was the station I used to get the train into Liverpool Central. The trains from this station are generally fairly reliable but when they are off, you can always walk to Walton Station (about a 5 min. walk away), or catch a bus from Rice Lane or Walton Vale.