All systems By city Merseyrail
Heavy urban rail, third rail
Merseyrail
The closest thing outside London to a true urban metro: high-frequency third-rail electric trains running through an underground loop and link beneath central Liverpool, out to the Wirral, Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby. It is branded and ticketed as a local network rather than as National Rail, which trips up visitors expecting to use ordinary rail tickets.
Which ticket should you buy?
Photo: silver-novice ~ ne res adversae impediant · CC BY 2.0
Ticket options
Single, city zone
£2.60
Best for Getting around central Liverpool
Covers the four underground city-centre stations and the immediate suburbs.
Single, all zones
£5.40
Best for Liverpool to Southport or Chester
Longer runs out to the ends of the network.
Saveaway, all zones
£6.20
Best for A day out on the network
The classic Merseytravel day ticket. Covers Merseyrail, local buses and the Mersey Ferries, which makes it unusually good value.
Saveaway, city zone
£4.60
Best for Staying central
Cheaper if you are not leaving Liverpool itself.
Railpass, weekly
£26.00
Best for Longer stays and commuters
Loaded onto a Walrus card at a station machine.
Fares checked May 2026. Confirm on the operator’s own fares page before you buy.
Where you tap
Tap in and tap out. Forgetting to tap out means the journey is recorded as incomplete and charged at the maximum fare for where you started.
Is the day ticket worth it?
Comparing the Single, city zone at £2.60 with the Saveaway, city zone at £4.60, staying inside the city zone. The day ticket becomes the cheaper choice from your second journey onwards.
| Journeys in a day | Singles cost | Against the day ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £2.60 | £2.00 cheaper |
| 2 | £5.20 | 60p more |
| 3 | £7.80 | £3.20 more |
| 4 | £10.40 | £5.80 more |
How to pay
- Contactless at station gatelines
- Walrus card, the Liverpool City Region smartcard
- Ticket machines and staffed offices at almost every station
- The Merseyrail app for mobile tickets
Concessions
- Under 5s travel free.
- Children 5–15 pay roughly half fare; a MyTicket day ticket for under-19s is cheap and covers the whole network.
- 18–19 year olds in the city region can apply for discounted travel.
Worth knowing
- The city-centre loop runs one way only. If you overshoot Liverpool Central going clockwise, stay on — you will come back round.
- A Saveaway includes the Mersey Ferry, which is the best value sightseeing in the city.
- Merseyrail tickets are not valid on the City Line services to Manchester and Wigan in the same way; check the zone map if you are heading east.
- The new Class 777 trains have level boarding, which makes this one of the most step-free networks in the country.
Photos
Common questions
- How much is a single on Merseyrail?
- The cheapest single listed is £2.60 (Single, city zone).
- Is a day ticket worth it on Merseyrail?
- It pays for itself on your second journey. The Saveaway, city zone costs £4.60 and the Single, city zone £2.60, so 2 singles come to £5.20.
- Do I need to tap out on Merseyrail?
- Tap in and tap out. Forgetting to tap out means the journey is recorded as incomplete and charged at the maximum fare for where you started.
- Can I pay with a contactless card on Merseyrail?
- Yes. Contactless at station gatelines.
- What do children pay on Merseyrail?
- Under 5s travel free.