Wirral Council Leader welcomes new rapid transit road tests
Wirral Council’s leader has welcomed the latest stage of trials for the planned new rapid transit vehicle which is starting road testing in the Liverpool City Region this month.
Liverpool city Region Combined Authority Mayor Steve Rotheram has pledged to roll out a new fleet of the high capacity ‘gliders’ across the region by the end of 2028.
The tests of the 18-metre battery-powered vehicle, wrapped in the region’s Metro livery, follows last year’s initial trial using a Translink vehicle from Belfast.
This new test will see the vehicle operate on key commuter routes and assess performance in real-world conditions to help shape the design of the city region’s own fleet.
Wirral Council’s Leader, Cllr Paula Basnett, said:
While there are no plans to bring this new rapid transit vehicle to Wirral at the moment I will be working closely with the Combined Authority to encourage them look at the options to do so.
This is an innovative and almost instant solution to bringing mass transit to areas which are struggling to help people move about. No major infrastructure needs to be installed and transit services can be brought in and started very quickly. This could provide much needed links within Wirral and beyond and I hope the CA will be looking to expand the network over here as soon as possible.
The gliders offer 30% more capacity than a standard double decker bus, with two sets of double doors to speed up boarding and alighting. Features like level access and off-vehicle ticketing are designed to improve journey times – offering an attractive alternative the car.
Fully integrated with the city region’s wider public transport system, the new service will link with bus, rail and active travel routes, funded as part of a £1.6bn transport settlement secured by the Mayor from national government.
Route planning is already underway for Phase 1 of the new glider network, with links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Anfield and the Hill Dickinson Stadium prioritised. Over time, the network could be extended to other areas not currently served by the rail network, helping to better connect communities right across the region.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:
This is a big moment on our journey to build the modern, reliable transport system that our area’s needed for decades.
When I talk about a ‘London-style’ network, I mean a system that’s joined-up, easy to use, and where you don’t have to think twice about how you’re getting from A to B. That’s the standard people in our region should expect too – not just those in the capital.
For too long, places like ours have been treated as an afterthought when it comes to transport funding and infrastructure. But we’ve secured £1.6bn from government – and we’re putting it to work, building a system that actually works for the 1.6 million people who live here.
These gliders are a glimpse of that future – clean, spacious, accessible – and they’ll help people get to work, to training, or to the match, without having to rely on a car.
I’ve made a clear commitment to have services running between the city centre, airport and both our football grounds by 2028 – and this trial is another big step towards making that promise a reality.
Similar rapid transit systems already operate successfully in cities such as Amiens, Barcelona, Toronto and Los Angeles, with more on the way in Porto and Brisbane. The Liverpool City Region is now firmly on track to join them.
