The Liverpool–Manchester Lines represent one of the most historically significant and operationally crucial railway corridors in the United Kingdom. Stretching across the North West of England, these lines form a strategic and heavily trafficked connection between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. This corridor is not defined by a single track or route but instead by a group of parallel and branching railway lines that serve different purposes, including passenger commuter services, intercity links, regional travel, and freight movements. The foundation of the route lies in the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830. It was the world’s first intercity railway to rely exclusively on steam power, built with double tracks and designed for both passenger and goods traffic. The line marked the beginning of the modern railway era, establishing standards such as scheduled services, signaling systems, and stations, and it pioneered the use of a locomotive-hauled train rather than horse-drawn wagons. The historic significance of this route is immense; it became a prototype for railway development around the world. Today, the Liverpool–Manchester corridor comprises several key lines, including the northern route via Newton-le-Willows and the southern route via Warrington Central. Additional routes include those through Eccles, Chat Moss, and the line via Manchester Airport. These routes are now electrified with 25 kV AC overhead lines, greatly enhancing capacity and reducing emissions. The corridor is primarily operated by Northern Trains, TransPennine Express, and Avanti West Coast, with a mixture of local and long-distance services. Northern Trains runs frequent commuter and regional services linking towns such as St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Widnes, and Irlam, while TransPennine Express operates express services connecting Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria and further eastward to Leeds, York, Newcastle, and beyond. Avanti West Coast runs some longer-distance intercity services linking Liverpool with London via Manchester. Freight traffic also uses parts of the corridor, with links to the Port of Liverpool and major logistics hubs in the North West. The main stations anchoring the route—Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly—are major termini with extensive facilities and connections. Intermediate stations, such as Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Newton-le-Willows, and Warrington Central, are key interchanges within the local and regional rail network. These stations have seen significant investment and upgrades, with improvements to accessibility, platforms, and passenger information systems in recent years. The corridor passes through a diverse range of landscapes, from urban centers to industrial zones and greenbelt areas. Despite being in one of the most densely populated parts of the UK outside London, the route still features stretches of countryside and traditional railway architecture, adding scenic and historic interest to the journey. In recent decades, the line has undergone major infrastructure improvements. Electrification of the Liverpool–Manchester route via Chat Moss was completed in 2015, and subsequent capacity enhancements have included station refurbishments, resignalling, and line speed improvements. These upgrades were part of the Northern Hub and Great North Rail Project initiatives, aiming to reduce congestion, improve journey times, and support economic growth in the region. Modern signalling systems, increased service frequency, and better rolling stock have made the Liverpool–Manchester corridor a reliable and essential part of the UK's national rail network. Whether used for daily commuting, long-distance travel, or goods transport, the corridor continues to uphold its legacy as a pioneering and dynamic railway axis. Route Map Northern Route (Chat Moss Line) is electrified Southern Route (Cheshire Line) is non- electrified Rolling Stock Class 331 Class 390 Class 156 Class 66 Class 769 (Seprate Add On) Rush Hour Express Duration: 35 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Rolling Stock: Class 331 Description: Operate a semi-fast Class 331 commuter service from Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street during the intense evening peak. Navigate closely packed timetables, restrictive signals, and heavy traffic as you keep to schedule. ️ Stormy Commute Duration: 40 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★★ Rolling Stock: Class 331 Description: Take control of a morning commuter run in stormy weather with strong winds and heavy rain. Slippery rails, speed limits, and poor visibility will challenge your driving skills through the open stretches of Chat Moss. First Light to Manchester Duration: 50 minutes Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Rolling Stock: Class 156 Description: It’s just before sunrise and your task is to run the first all-stations stopping service from Liverpool to Manchester Oxford Road. With cold rail conditions and early morning fog, this peaceful service requires careful attention to braking and acceleration. ️ Quiet Sunday Duration: 60 minutes Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ Rolling Stock: Class 156 Description: Enjoy a calm Sunday morning drive with minimal traffic and extended station stops. Track maintenance is in place, so watch for slow orders and diversions as you complete a full local route via Warrington Central. Night Haul Duration: 75 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Rolling Stock: Class 66 Description: Depart Garston Freightliner Terminal late at night with a heavy intermodal consist bound for Trafford Park. Darkness, gradients, and tight signal blocks will demand your full focus across the urban freight corridor. Freight Priority Duration: 45 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★★ Rolling Stock: Class 66 Description: You’ve been slotted into a busy daytime timetable on the fast lines. Weave through densely scheduled Class 331 and 390 services without causing delays, maintaining momentum and precision on your freight run. West Coast Express Duration: 35 minutes Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Rolling Stock: Class 390 Description: Drive a high-speed Avanti West Coast Pendolino between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly. With only a single station call, you’ll reach top speeds quickly and need perfect braking at the terminus. ⛈️ Storm Run Duration: 40 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Rolling Stock: Class 390 Description: A violent storm is battering the North West. Your Pendolino tilts through brutal crosswinds and wet rail conditions on a fast eastbound run. Stay alert and control your power output carefully under adverse conditions. ⚡ Mode Shift Duration: 55 minutes Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Rolling Stock: Class 769 Description: Begin your service in electric mode departing Liverpool. Midway, switch to diesel as overhead wires end and continue on a non-electrified route. Balancing power modes and adapting to varying performance will be key to success. Diversion Day Duration: 60 minutes Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Rolling Stock: Class 769 Description: With overhead line maintenance in full swing, your bi-mode Class 769 is drafted to cover an altered stopping service. You'll face route changes, temporary speed limits, and unusual paths through diesel-only territory. Timetable Highlights Class 331 – Northern Civity EMU Fast, responsive, and modern, the Class 331 forms the backbone of the corridor’s Northern stopping and semi-fast services. Weekday Highlights: 05:45 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria (All Stops – early commuter) 07:12 Manchester Victoria to Liverpool (Semi-Fast – skips Earlestown) 15:33 Liverpool to Manchester Oxford Road (Peak express with selected stops) 22:10 Manchester to Huyton (Evening shuttle with low traffic) Weekend Highlights: ️ 09:00 All-stops weekend working – longer dwell times, reduced frequency 19:42 Semi-fast relief service with extra station calls due to timetable gaps Class 156 – Northern Super Sprinter DMU Ideal for lightly used rural paths and local branches, the 156 offers immersive low-speed driving and authentic diesel power. Weekday Highlights: 06:10 Liverpool Lime Street to Warrington Central (Stopping service through suburbia) 16:45 Manchester Oxford Road to Liverpool (Off-peak local with crew change at Earlestown) Weekend Highlights: 08:20 “Rural Rambler” – Early morning leisure service with light passenger loading 18:30 Manchester to Widnes – Short diagram returning to depot after low-usage trip Class 66 – Freightliner / DB Cargo The heavyweight of the route, moving goods between Liverpool, Trafford Park, Ditton Yard, and beyond. Daily Freight Paths: 02:35 Garston Freight Terminal to Trafford Park (Night container run) 09:15 Ditton Yard to Edge Hill Engineering (Engineering wagons delivery) 13:00 Earlestown loop to Ditton (Light loco move + wagons pick-up) 20:05 Trafford Park to Liverpool Docks (Outbound mixed goods under sunset) Dynamic Highlights: Timed freight path inserts between peak services – requires perfect dispatch timing AI freight stabling and run-around operations at Ditton and Edge Hill Class 390 – Avanti West Coast Pendolino Sleek and powerful, the Pendolino offers high-speed regional and intercity express travel between key hubs. Weekday Highlights: 07:50 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly (Non-stop business express) 16:10 Manchester to Liverpool (Return fast diagram for London connection) 20:30 Liverpool to Manchester via Chat Moss (Final express run of the day) Special Service Ideas: AI extensions to simulate London Euston services with custom layers ️ Pendolino “skip-stop” runs on busy days using Piccadilly fast lines ⚡ Class 769 – Bi-mode Flex Unit Versatile and efficient, the Class 769 handles both electric and diesel services, making it perfect for diverted or flexible diagrams. Timetable Highlights: 05:30 Liverpool to Wigan via Newton-le-Willows (Starts electric, ends diesel) ️ 11:20 Liverpool to Earlestown (Substitute service for unavailable electric unit) 17:45 Manchester to Allerton Depot (Depot return after covering afternoon local) Dynamic Inclusions: Automatic power mode switching segments Re-routing on unelectrified loops and under-engineering diversions Mixed AI services with 769s replacing failed 331s dynamically Mastery Rewards Tier 1 Merseyrail Class 508s stored at depot Tier 2 Special scenery overlay AI Layers (Driveable) Class 323 (Manchester Airport Commuter or Glossop Line DLC Required) Class 158 (Midland Main Line DLC Required) AI Layers Class 150 pulling in/ out of Manchester Piccadilly Why this route should come to TSW5 The Liverpool–Manchester Lines are far more than just a route between two iconic cities—they’re a living, breathing railway corridor filled with rich gameplay, diverse traction, heavy operational demand, and a balanced mix of modern express and classic legacy character. This is not just a good route—it’s the kind of route that TSW5 is built to handle when done right. It delivers on nearly every kind of gameplay a player could want: fast intercity running, commuter stops, bi-mode flexibility, freight threading through tight passenger slots, and layered stock that feels alive in a real network. First, let’s talk about why this route is fun. It’s challenging but accessible. You’ve got the Class 331, a responsive and modern EMU, weaving between fast trains and managing frequent stops on high-demand commuter runs. The Class 156 brings a slower, deliberate feel with regional stoppers across less electrified paths—more manual braking, more personality. Then there’s the Class 66, working freight through narrow timetable margins, pushing your awareness and control. Mix in the Class 390 Pendolino offering high-speed intercity action with full tilt physics and strict timing, and top it off with the Class 769, where you’re managing electric-diesel mode switching and adapting to dynamic operating conditions. Every drive feels different. No two services run the same. The gameplay variety here is unmatched. This isn’t a corridor with one kind of train doing the same kind of thing every hour. This is a living network where stoppers, freights, and express services all occupy the same two to four-track formation, creating organic delays, complex signal patterns, and layered AI that feels authentic. You’re not just driving a train—you’re part of a timetable that’s pulsing with energy. In terms of what players get, the base route could be set in the 2019–2023 period, making full use of the modern traction in active use: Class 331s on electrified Northern services, Class 156s for rural and fallback duties, Class 390s representing Avanti West Coast, and 66s on intermodal and engineering work. These four alone give enough gameplay variety to keep players engaged across peak, off-peak, night, and weekend diagrams. Add in the Class 769 as a seprate addon DLC and you’ve now got bi-mode versatility and additional substitution value What sets Liverpool–Manchester apart is that it doesn’t just look good—it operates brilliantly. The terrain includes historically significant locations like Rainhill (site of the Rainhill Trials), Newton-le-Willows (one of the oldest stations in the world), and the iconic tunnels at Liverpool Lime Street. But more importantly, the route keeps you focused: the gradients shift subtly, junctions require speed management, and the signalling forces you to stay alert—especially when threading freight into a path between two packed 331 services. Even visually, it balances urban density, freight yards, and greenbelt countryside beautifully—urban decay and modernization next to rolling fields, all under that distinctive North West sky. Yet it never loses momentum—you're always doing something, always working through signals, adjusting speed, or reacting to changing blocks. It’s not a pretty route for the sake of being pretty—it’s a busy, reactive, playable environment that challenges and rewards the driver. Ultimately, this is a route that meets player expectations. It offers variety, realism, challenge, and immersion without needing to be 150 miles long or packed with 10 new trains. It introduces multiple gameplay styles in one package—stop-start commuter runs, fast high-speed services, freight with pathing tension, and bi-mode adaptability. You can play it fast, slow, methodical, or reactive. That’s why this route would not just be a good addition—it would be a defining route for Train Sim World 5. DTG, this is the kind of corridor that shows off what TSW is best at—deep, layered, operationally busy routes that feel real, look alive, and keep players coming back. The Liverpool–Manchester Lines are not just worth doing—they're the perfect showcase for what this game can deliver.
Historic as it may be, and as much effort as you've put into this proposal, you can't really get away from the fact that both routes to Liverpool are some of the most dull and uninspiring railways in the country. The scenery is bland, gradients non-existent and station (Lime Street aside) unspectacular. Would likely be a pass from me.
OK but about that in real life its not like that TSW5 routes have always been like that well at least some of them
Not sure the Pendo runs between the two cities directly, but as a layer it would appear along the route in places. Otherwise this is a great suggestion. There’s variety in the services, variety in the traction and a real end to end style of service too. There’s enough layers to include a fairly busy Liverpool and Manchester area too. I like it!
I'm only on board if it's the original 1825 version with appropriate stock...... ....Oh plus the horse on a treadmill engine as a later DLC......
its just useless in 1825 if it had to be set in the past then then the late 1980 or mid 1980 period would be better
Excellent suggestion there, you've built on my more conservative one with a wider variety of rolling stock as well as a much bigger map! Surely the 150/1 should be organic to the route as well, since these are local to the line and more often than not run alongside the 156s! What I'd say is, with the 331 there should also be the 195 as it does run on the Southern (CLC) direct route - maybe make that a CAF Diesel and Electric pack? - Also, the 319 and 769 could come as another pack, if not already available in the DLC. With operators ThamesLink, Northern, Southern, TfW, GWR (testing only) and LNWR/London Midland already in the game, that would basically be a "universal" layer into several existing UK DLCs.
Would be nice to include the 802 on this and the 185 in the future when that’s added. Get some transpennine representation in the game. Could also maybe include trains on diversion such as the 390.
This would be great to see. One thing you missed was the TFW layers for the Manchester Airport to Llandudno services (between Manchester Picc and Newton Le Willows). But it would be nice to see not only TPE in the game, but also some Northern DMUs.
