Photo credit: Network Rail
With less than two weeks until a £7.9m upgrade to six lines serving Manchester Piccadilly station, passengers are being advised to plan their journeys in advance of a nine-day railway closure.
Beginning on Valentine’s Day (Saturday 14 February) teams from Network Rail and the Central Rail Systems Alliance will be overhauling tracks, points and signalling systems across six lines serving the North West’s busiest railway station.
The work, which covers nearly a kilometre of the railway, will impact on passengers travelling into Manchester and across the wider region for nine days.
As the gateway to Manchester Piccadilly, any faults on this section of railway can have knock-on effects across the entire railway network.
With some of the current infrastructure dating back to the 1980s – this major investment will make the railway more reliable and in turn reduce unplanned disruption for passengers and freight.
The investment of nearly eight million pounds (£7.9m) will see:
- Eleven sets of points replaced
- 9,000m of new cabling laid
- Timber sleepers upgraded with modern concrete equivalents
- 5,500 tonnes of new railway foundation stone (ballast) replaced
- Work to signalling and other lineside equipment
The vast scale of the work spanning all main lines means no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly for nine days over February half term (Saturday 14 – Sunday 22).
Today (Tuesday 3 February) passengers are being advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk so they know exactly what to expect from their journey during the essential improvements.
Rebecca Rathore, Network Rail’s North West route strategy director, said: “This work is vital in order to keep passengers and freight on the move reliably for decades to come across both Greater Manchester and wider North West.
“We know that the part closure of Manchester Piccadilly so we can carry out this work will cause some disruption and we’re thankful for everyone’s patience so we can complete these journey improving upgrades. I’d advise anyone planning to travel between 14 and 22 February to check National Rail Enquiries for the smoothest journey possible.”
A spokesperson for train operators said: “This work will improve the reliability of trains running into the region’s busiest station.
“During this essential work, we’re expecting services to be busy, so please plan ahead and allow extra travel time. Please check with your specific operator or with National Rail Enquiries for detailed journey information.”
While the train shed (platforms 1-12) will close, Manchester Piccadilly’s concourse will remain open to the public. There will be a limited service westbound from platforms 13 and 14.
During the work, valid rail tickets will be accepted on a number of Bee Network bus and tram services in affected areas*.
Ten extra buses will run throughout the day on the 192 bus route to help keep people moving during the multi-million-pound railway upgrades.
There are also a number of events during the railway closure at Etihad Campus including Manchester City matches and concerts at Co-op Live.
Trams will be running as normal and travel advice for these events can be found here.
Staff will also be on hand at Manchester Piccadilly station to help coordinate bus and Metrolink Bee Network journeys.
Simon Elliott, Network Director Rail at TfGM, said: “This investment in Manchester Piccadilly’s rail infrastructure is a crucial step forward in delivering a reliable and resilient railway for passengers, freight and supporting the city-region’s continued economic growth.
“The Bee Network is here to support passengers to move easily across Greater Manchester while these essential works take place. Ticket acceptance is in place on a number of bus and tram services and 10 extra buses a day will be running on the 192 in addition to the rail replacement buses.
“I would urge everyone to please plan their journey, check before they travel and leave extra time as we are expecting services to be extra busy during the works.”
Some trains from across the north will also be impacted during the essential upgrades as well as direct connections to Manchester Airport station.
During this time, Network Rail is advising passengers to travel light, allow extra time for their journey and be prepared to queue, as stations and rail replacement services are expected to be very busy.
This project is just one of a number of major improvement works planned by Network Rail across the West Coast Main Line in the coming months.
For updates about the project at Manchester Piccadilly, visit the webpage: Piccadilly corridor renewal – Network Rail.