Over 25,000 more Liverpool City Region residents will have direct public transport access to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in under an hour – rising to over 100,000 under 80 minutes via onward rail and bus connections – following the announcement of a brand-new express bus service from St Helens.
The new X3 express service will link St Helens town centre directly to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, offering faster, cheaper and more convenient journeys for holidaymakers and airport staff.
The service will operate from Sunday 6 September, the first day bus services in St Helens return to public control in more than 40 years.
Passengers on the X3 will travel aboard brand-new, publicly owned UK-built low-emission buses clad in the region’s distinctive yellow and grey Metro livery. The state-of-the-art vehicles feature air conditioning, USB charging points, more comfortable seating, level boarding, audio-visual announcements and improved accessibility.
The express connection arrives as Liverpool John Lennon Airport continues to achieve record passenger growth and top national rankings for customer satisfaction and on time performance.
John Irving, CEO Liverpool John Lennon Airport, commented,
“With more flights to more destinations than ever before, improved connectivity for the airport from across the City Region is vitally important and this new express service will now make it much easier and quicker for thousands of St Helens residents to access the airport by public transport.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said,
“When I said we were taking back control of our buses, it was never just about changing who runs them. It was about building a public transport network that works for local people.
“This new express service is a great example of what that looks like in practice. It will make it quicker and easier for thousands more people to get to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, whether they’re travelling for work, jetting off on holiday or welcoming friends and family to our region.
“We’re proving that when decisions are made locally, we can build a network around the needs of our communities instead of leaving them to the market. That’s how we’ll deliver the London-style transport system people here deserve – better connected, more affordable and giving people a genuine alternative to the car.”
Under the new system, services will be planned around the needs of passengers and communities, with the Combined Authority deciding when, where and how often buses run.
The new X3 service is just one part of Mayor Rotheram’s broader plans to improve airport connectivity, with funding unlocked to deliver a brand-new rapid transit system that will cut journey times between Liverpool City Centre, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the football stadiums.
Following the September rollout in St Helens, public control of the bus network will be phased in across the City Region, with Wirral following in October 2026 and Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton by the end of 2027.
