Liverpool–Manchester lines
There once were four direct railway routes between Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England; only two remain, the two centre routes of the four. The most northerly and the most southerly of the four routes are no longer direct lines. Of the remaining two direct routes, the northern route of the two is fully electric, while the now southern route is a diesel-only line. The most northerly of the four has been split into two routes: the western section operated by Merseyrail electric trains and the eastern section by diesel trains, requiring passengers to change trains between the two cities. The fourth route, the most southerly of the four, has been largely abandoned east of Warrington; the remaining section caters mainly for freight trains. The remaining two direct routes are: The northern route from terminus station via , and to . This line follows the route of the original 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The southern route from terminus via to Manchester Piccadilly operates on lines formerly owned by the Cheshire Lines Committee. Castlefield Junction allows crossover working between the northern route and Manchester Piccadilly. Northern route (Chat Moss) The northern route runs from Liverpool Lime Street station, via and , and continues to either or . The line follows George Stephenson's original 32-mile (51.5 km) Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830, which was the world's first inter-city passenger railway and the first to have run 'scheduled' services. Many early steam locomotives were initially used on this line including Stephenson's Rocket, which won the Rainhill Trials in 1829 (see List of Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotives). The line also includes a number of listed structures including stations and bridges, particularly the Rainhill Skew Bridge and the nine-arch Sankey Viaduct. The line uses Class 319 electric EMU units. Current services Following completion of electrification in May 2015, services to and Manchester Victoria are operated by Class 319 4-Car Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) or Class 323 3-Car Electric Multiple Units (EMUs). An hourly semi-fast service is operated by Northern Trains, from to , via , , , , , Manchester Airport and Wilmslow. Northern Trains also operates an hourly service calling at all stations along the line between Liverpool Lime Street and . This 'stopping service' is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool Lime Street and , which continues along the West Coast Main Line to . Between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional hourly services operated by Transport for Wales, which originate from via the North Wales Coast Line and . On Sundays there is one train per hour along the line, calling at all stations to Manchester Piccadilly except and . It is operated by Northern and continues to Manchester Airport. Northern Trains is the dominant operator on the route, and its services are operated with Class 319 4-Car EMUs or Class 150 and Class 156 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). Transport for Wales services between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly are usually operated by Class