c. lxxi), on 3 July 1851[1] to build a line between Timperley Junction on the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR), to provide a through route to Manchester, and Warrington Arpley on the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway providing a link with Liverpool.

Delays in the delivery of iron work for the bridges over the Mersey and Bridgewater Canal meant that the line was initially isolated from the rest of the railway network.

The line was still busy at this time but extensive (and costly) repairs would have been needed to the Latchford Viaduct for continued operation – these were deemed not to be economically justifiable given that the remaining freight traffic could be diverted via alternative routes and there was no desire to extend the Manchester tram system to Warrington.

[citation needed] In August 2019, the town council announced they were looking to build a mass transit network that would involve crossing the canal and have identified but yet to confirm it will go ahead.

[4] In November 2021 the UK Government announced its Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, part of which proposes the reuse of part of the line to connect Liverpool to HS2 via Warrington and involves reinstating the low-level platforms at Warrington Bank Quay station[5]