the construction of the new station and engine houses was let in March 1835. The new station was about by in area with stone platforms with all the station buildings set back from the platform edges. Trains descended to Lime Street by gravity under the control of two brakesmen riding in an open brake waggon, being rope-hauled by a winding engine back up to Edge Hill. This system, constructed by Mather, Dixon and Company under the direction of John Grantham, ended in 1870. The new Edge Hill station was opened in 1836 and has been in continuous use ever since. Sidings to the north of the station (sometimes called Exhibition Road after the adjacent thoroughfare leading to the exhibition hall) served as a terminus for excursionists visiting the 1886 "Shipperies" and 1887 Royal Jubilee Exhibitions. The venue on Edge Lane had its own sidings to the south, including access to the building itself, for delivery of exhibits and removal of materials when the site closed. Layout Facing west there are two tunnels visible from the platforms. The northernmost tunnel is the Waterloo Tunnel, and the southern tunnel leads to . The station consists of two island platforms, each with an original building dating from 1836. This makes it one of the world's oldest passenger railway station still in use, although the former Liverpool Road station in Manchester is the oldest surviving station building. Art exhibitions are held on the approach road to the Southern island platform. An arts centre called Metal now occupies part of the building on the Manchester-bound platform. Around 400 yards from the station in the Manchester direction is a key junction, where the Merseytravel City lines separate into two: one goes towards (serving the southern Liverpool-Manchester line and the West Coast Main Line) and the other towards (serving the Wigan and Manchester Victoria lines). The Canada Dock Branch line runs through the station towards Bootle Oriel Road. There is also a carriage servicing depot just to the east of the junction on the line towards Mossley Hill which is used by Alstom to maintain train operator Virgin West Coast's Pendolino fleet. The station buildings are Grade II listed. Network Rail applied for planning permission in November 2016 to update the ticket desk and counter to make it more accessible to passengers with disabilities. The ticket office (on the northern island platform) is staffed throughout the day