Chester–Warrington line
Interests in the Birkenhead docks were aware that they needed a railway connection towards Manchester and the Lancashire manufacturing districts, to enable them to compete with Liverpool.At Mickle Trafford the Mid-Cheshire Line diverges north-easterly to Manchester which is primarily used by local trains.It then heads northwards to cross and then run alongside the West Coast Main Line, eventually joining it at Acton Grange south of Warrington Bank Quay.The line is also used by the Freightliner Group for access to the rail-served maritime freight terminal at Ellesmere Port.In March 2015, the Electrification Task Force announced that the line was a Tier 1 priority for being electrified in the Network Rail Control Period 6 (2019–2024).