Manchester Piccadilly Station closes for major work for the week

The main rail hub in the northwest of England – Manchester Piccadilly – is currently closed, and will be for the next week as engineering work is carried out.

The work will involve 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 passengers travelling into Manchester and across the wider region for nine days.

With some of the current infrastructure dating back to the 1980s, a major investment and modernisation is needed, coming in at near £8 million (well, £7.9 million… £100,000 is pocket change at this point), the investment will make the railway more reliable and, in turn, reduce unplanned disruption for passengers and freight.

Work being carried out includes:

• 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 on signalling and other lineside equipment

The work is being carried out during the February Half- Term Period between 14th and 22nd February, running nine days.

During that time, no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly.

There’s more on the work at https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/our-routes/north-west/piccadilly-corridor-renewal/

Plan ahead and prepare for diversions.

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 several Bee Network bus and tram services in affected areas. Some trains from across the north will also be impacted during the essential upgrades, as well as direct connections to Manchester Airport station.

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. In addition, there will be extensive rail replacement bus services.

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.

Replacement Services

Given the scope of the works, there are a lot of changes, with extended travel times expected. The following routes have changes announced:

From the south of Manchester:

• All Avanti West Coast Main Line services to Manchester will terminate at Stockport.
• All Cross Country services from the south and south west to Manchester will terminate at Stockport.
• A limited service will call at Manchester Airport from Crewe. All other airport services will be replaced by buses.
• Services from South Wales to Manchester will terminate at Crewe. Onward connections will be available.

To the east of Manchester:

• Services from Glossop and Hadfield will terminate at Guide Bridge.
• Fast services from Sheffield will terminate at Stockport.
• Stopping services from Sheffield will terminate at Guide Bridge.
• Services from Leeds and Huddersfield will only travel to Manchester Victoria.

From the north and west of Manchester:

• Services from North Wales and Chester will terminate at Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Bank Quay.
• Services from Liverpool and Warrington Central will terminate at Manchester Oxford Road.
• Trains from Preston and Bolton will terminate at Manchester Victoria or Manchester Oxford Road.
• TransPennine Express services from Scotland will terminate at Preston.
• Services from Chester via Northwich will terminate at Altrincham.

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Piccadilly and:

• Stockport
• Manchester Airport (some via Gatley/Burnage/East Didsbury)
• Chesterfield

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Airport and:

• Warrington Bank Quay via Warrington Central
• Preston
• Bolton
• Manchester Piccadilly
• Huddersfield via Stockport

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Victoria and:

• Guide Bridge
• Rose Hill Marple via Romiley

Passengers for Altrincham are advised to use the Bee Network Metrolink connection.

In Quotes

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.” 

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.”

Remember to plan ahead.

During major disruptions like this (which knock out important parts of the rail network), planning ahead isn’t a nicety – it’s a requirement.

If you’re heading near Manchester, you need to keep an eye on National Rail Enquiries, its disruption pages, as well as Northern Railways’ latest updates around Manchester.

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