The Liverpool–Wigan line is a railway line in the north-west of England, running between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western via St Helens Central station. The line is a part of the electrified Merseyrail Liverpool to Wigan City Line. The stations, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Trains, however the stations are branded Merseyrail using Merseyrail ticketing. Description The route from Liverpool, running east follows part of the northern section of the Liverpool–Manchester line up to Huyton Junction; where it branches north-eastwards, routing via Prescot and St Helens Central, then to Ince Moss Junction. Here, the line joins the West Coast Main Line near Springs Branch and runs on to Wigan North Western. The route sees service from three passenger trains per hour in both directions between Liverpool and Wigan. Following the 17 May 2015 timetable changeover, it is now usually operated by Northern Trains 4-Car Class 319 electric units. The frequency of three per hour comprises two local stopping services and one longer distance express. The longer distance service runs from Liverpool Lime Street on to Blackpool North operating a limited stop service of Huyton, St Helens Central and Wigan in the Liverpool to Wigan leg of its journey. As of May 2018, Preston to Blackpool North electrification was completed and the service from Liverpool to Blackpool North is now also operated by Northern Trains 4-Car Class 319 electric units. For local passenger transport, these routes are branded as a significant sections of Merseytravel's City Line routes. History The history of the first section of the route from Liverpool Lime Street is the same as that of the original Stephenson Liverpool to Manchester first passenger-carrying railway as far as Huyton, where the route then diverges from the Liverpool to Manchester line at Huyton junction. The section of line from Huyton to St Helens was opened on 1 November 1871 by the London and North Western Railway, the line from St Helens to Wigan having been opened two years earlier on 1 December 1869 by the Lancashire Union Railway. The line is double-tracked from its junction with the Liverpool - Manchester line at Huyton to its junction with the West Coast Main Line at Ince Moss, although originally the section from Carr Mill to Ince Moss was four-tracked to accommodate the freight traffic from the numerous collieries on this section. In later years following colliery closures,