How to travel from Manchester to Liverpool by bus, train, car or boat

Written by Aidan O'Rourke
2010-12-30

I often travel between Manchester and Liverpool to visit friends, take photos or go to events. So what's the cheapest way to do the journey? And what's the quickest way? There are lots of options: road, rail, canal, footpath. And is it possible to fly? Read on to find out more.

Liverpool and Manchester are the two biggest cities in north west England. They are approximately 35 miles apart apart and I have made the journey between them countless times. People often ask me for information so I decided to write this article.

National Express coach, cheapest transport method between Liverpool and Manchester
The National Express bus offers the cheapest fare between Manchester and Liverpool. The service runs approximately every hour during the day, less frequently in the evening. To book, go to the National Express website at least a couple of days in advance and look for the cheapest fare. You can also buy your ticket at the coach station or (with some restrictions) from the driver.

Looking on the website in late 2010, the cheapest return fare I found was £5 return. The day return economy fare was £6.50. Always visit the website to find the most up to date information and the lowest fares.

National Express coaches use National Express coach stations, Manchester Central Coach Station is located on Chorlton St, close to Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly station (postcode: M1 3JF). Liverpool Norton St Coach Station is located about 10 minutes walk fro Lime St Station (postcode:) Unless there are delays, the coach journey between Liverpool and Manchester takes just under one hour.

Please note: Megabus, the low cost operator, once ran a Manchester-Liverpool service but it was withdrawn.

If you“re going to or from Liverpool John Lennon Airport then you can take the coach shuttle bus service operated by Terravision. It runs hourly from very early morning until after midnight. After departing from Manchester“s Shudehill Transport Interchange and it arrives outside the terminal building next to the Yellow Submarine artwork some 50 minutes later. The journey in the other direction is about the same.

Manchester to Liverpool by rail: second cheapest and also quickest
The rail fare between Manchester and Liverpool is slightly more than the bus. In late 2010 the off peak day return between both cities in either direction was £9.90 You have a choice between Manchester Piccadilly on southern edge of the city centre or Manchester Victoria Station on the northern side. Journey times range from just over three quarters of an hour to over one and three quarter hours. For full details and to book tickets go to www.thetrainline.com or any of the train operator websites such as www.northernrail.org.

Historical note: Manchester and Liverpool are pioneer cities in rail travel. The first passenger railway service began in 1830. The original station building still exists. It“s part of Manchester“s Museum of Science and Industry. Travelling at 14 mph, the journey I calculate the journey must have taken around three hours. In the mid-20th century steam era, the journey between Manchester and Liverpool was faster and more frequent than today.

Services from Liverpool Lime St to Manchester Victoria run mostly along the original 1830 route. In late 2010 the last train from Liverpool to Manchester is what I call the ’snorers and swearers“ express, leaving Lime St at 23.38. But please always check for up to date schedules.

Drive along the M62 between Manchester and Liverpool – or maybe the M56
The most convenient, and maybe the fastest method if you break the speed limit: not a good idea! – is to drive by car between Manchester and Liverpool, probably along the M62, but if you“re going to and/or from the southern parts of both cities, you could also take the M56, or a combination of M62 and M56. If you“re going from the north of Greater Manchester towards the north of Merseyside and Liverpool, it might be worth taking the A580 East Lancs Road.

Historical note: The A580 East Lancs Road was the UK“s first purpose-built road constructed to link two cities. It was completed in 1934 and has since been widened and adapted. The section of the M62 transpennine motorway that runs between Manchester and Liverpool was completed in the 1970s.

The distance from the eastern end of the M602 motorway at Cross Lane, Salford to the western end of the M62 at Queens Drive, Broadgreen, Liverpool is 27.8 miles. I can cover this distance at quiet times in less than 30 minutes. If you add on the journey along busy urban roads at either end, the total journey time will be more like one hour, at rush hour times considerably more. For the return journey I generally use around two gallons of petrol (c9 litres) costing around £11. (early 2011 prices).

By boat, bike, horse and on foot
Believe it or not, it is possible to travel by ship from Manchester to Liverpool. You can do this on the Manchester Ship Canal Cruise, operated by Mersey Ferries in the summer months using one of their celebrated river ferries. The journey takes around 6 hours and over the PA, there is a commentary from a tour guide as the ferry makes its way along the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey. It“s wonderful experience, I highly recommend it.

You can cycle, horse ride or walk from Manchester to Liverpool or vice versa along the Transpennine Trail, a continuous footpath that runs across northern England from coast to coast.

To my knowledge there no air service between Manchester and Liverpool. It might be possible to take a balloon from somewhere near Liverpool to somewhere in the Manchester area and it might be possible to fly by microlight from Barton Aerodrome (rebranded as ’Manchester City Airport“) coming down in a field somewhere not too far from Liverpool, but to the best of my knowledge, all scheduled transport services operate at ground level!

Happy travelling between our two great north western cities of Liverpool and Manchester!

2010-12-30