We are live this morning on an historic day for Merseyside public transport.
After a deal was first agreed back in 2016, this morning will see the first of the new state-of-the-art Merseyrail trains welcoming passengers. The road – or track – to this point has been difficult and littered with delays but has finally arrived.
The first new passenger service for the new Class 777 trains will depart from Liverpool Central, heading for Kirkby, at 10.50am. On board will be Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, who says the new trains are a vital part of his promised London-style public transport plan for the city region.
READ MORE:Boats, trains and buses – where is the Liverpool City Region public transport revolution up to?
The new trains feature a range of special features – including phone charging points – and will be the most accessible in the county, with new sliding step technology to allow level boarding for all passengers across the Merseyrail network, including wheelchair users and those with bikes and buggies.
We will be joining those on the first of the brand new Merseyrail trains to bring you all the updates on an important day for the Liverpool City Region.
Ellen Kirwin
Bella is the first dog to ride the new trains
Ellen Kirwin
Trains are more spacious
Politics editor Liam Thorp said that the new trains are much more "spacious"
Ellen Kirwin
We’re on board
Ellen Kirwin
The platform is getting busy
Ellen Kirwin
Passengers make their way down to the platform
Ellen Kirwin
Steve Rotheram "relieved"
Ellen Kirwin
Lots of excitement
Liverpool ECHO's politics editor Liam Thorp will be on the new train as it takes its first journey to Kirkby.
He said lots of others have arrived at Liverpool central and are "excited" to board the train which will depart at 10.50am.
Ellen Kirwin
Steve Rotheram arrives at Liverpool central
Liam Thorp
Next step – new trains
We are now heading to Liverpool Central in preparation for our first journey on the new trains.
We will keep you updated as we go.
Liam Thorp
How did we get here? (And why did it take so long)
The deal for these new Merseyrail trains was first signed all the way back in 2016, so it has taken a fair few years to get the first of them running with passangers on the tracks today.
This has involved long-running industrial action, flooding in factories and of course, a global pandemic.
Here's the full story of the new Merseyrail trains and how we got here
Liam Thorp
When will the first train run?
The very first of the new Merseyrail trains will depart from Liverpool Central station at 10.50am today.
The service will run to Kirkby and will welcome passangers, including local politicians like Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
We will be joining them on board to keep everyone updated.
Liam Thorp
The day is finally here!
You wait forever for a new train to come along – and then it finally does!
Yes it is an historic day for the Liverpool City Region as the first passanger service of the new state-of-the-art Merseyrail trains sets off.
We will be on board to bring you all the updates on a big day.