 It was designed to ease transition between the branch and the main L&NWR line into and out of the Liverpool area.The chord was taken out of use following a fire in the signal box at Edge Lane Junction on 21 January 1987 and subsequently lifted, because the declining amount of dock traffic meant the cost of repairing the box, or altering the signalling to allow remote operation from Edge Hill PSB, was not seen to be justified.However, delays resulting from the removal of the chord limited access to the Port of Liverpool.