Govt invests £72m in GM upgrades, scraps plans for Piccadilly platforms
The Department for Transport has ordered a rethink of Network Rail’s nearly decade-old proposal to construct a platform 15 and 16 at the busy Manchester station, while announcing improvements at Victoria and Salford Crescent.
Out with the old
Network Rail submitted a Transport and Works Act Order application in 2014 for a proposal for changes to Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Station.
The project called for the two new elevated platforms, a new section of two track bi-directional railway between Piccadilly East junction and the viaduct west of Piccadilly station, the widening of the MSJ7AR Viaduct, and the lengthening of platforms at Oxford Road Station. Those interested in the proposals can get a sense of the TWAO application by looking at the linked listed building applications 107686/LO/2014/C2 and 107685/LO/2014/C2 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
The goal of the 2014 scheme had been to alleviate congestion. But a lot has changed since then, and the plans failed to account for major projects that have been announced since – including HS2 and the TransPennine Route Upgrade.
Accordingly, Network Rail and DfT agreed that the 2014 plans were no longer the most effective way to help reduce congestion, enhance the timetable, and improve train service.
In with the new
The Manchester Task Force is now charged with finding a better plan to help passengers. The task force is made up of officials from Greater Manchester local authorities, Network Rail, Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport for the North, and local train operators.
“Today’s announcement is really positive, allowing us to get on with fixing the infrastructure around central Manchester so we can run trains more reliably,” said Network Rail non-executive director Tim Shoveller.
“The rail industry has come together to work on these proposals, building into a long-term vision that will get the best for our passengers and freight users alike,” he continued.
“We also have ambitious plans for the future of Manchester Oxford Road. We’re removing our previous planning application so we can move forward with a new approach, something we’ll be consulting residents and businesses on later in the year.”
New platforms for Manchester Piccadilly have not been ruled out as a possible solution, either.
The here and now
While the future of Manchester Piccadilly is still up for debate, the government has announced that part of its new £72m investment will see a third platform introduced to Salford Crescent. The money will also go towards track improvement works and new turnback tracks east of Manchester Victoria and near Salford Central.
Manchester Victoria will also receive additional entry and exit points to platforms.
“This new investment will help make trains services more reliable for the people of Manchester and beyond, marking another milestone in a decade’s worth of rail improvements across the region,” said rail minister Huw Merriman.
The £72m funding builds upon last year’s £84.3m railway infrastructure investment to get rid of delays to services in the North West. The scheme saw the introduction of a new timetable in December. The government says its efforts have already seen a reduction of delays across Central Manchester by 40% compared to 2019 figures.
News of the investment was welcomed by Emma Antrobus, director of the Institution of Civil Engineers North West.
Antrobus said: “Today’s funding is welcome in alleviating bottlenecks that cause the congestion, delays, and cancellations which regularly impact on so many people across the North.
“Effective infrastructure is key to improving rail journeys, and our members are the people who will be delivering it, but we mustn’t lose sight of the bigger picture,” she continued.
“We need a coherent transport strategy with effective leadership and accountability, an integrated approach to sustainability and levelling up, and certainty from the government to deliver it.
“Although the Manchester Task Force has its work cut out, the partners are ideally placed to help deliver services that will have a real impact across the region.”
£72M in North West Rail or £72m exclusively in Manchester City Centre? I see no mention of anywhere outside the Manchester bubble in this article?
By Clap
Good spot. Tweaked the headline. Salford is getting some love too – but just the two stations closest to Manchester city centre. – J
By Julia Hatmaker
Waste of money, we should be building on the 15 minute concept and investing in more areas around the region, more walking routes, fewer vehicles
By Gilly
Wow we second class citizens of the North really do have to put up with second best don’t we. Love how they are spinning this one. Anyone who still thinks HS2 will arrive here is dreaming unfortunately. In a few years time they will unveil another plan that will be again years away. Kicking the can further down the road with each announcement.
By Bob
What did the thriving city of Liverpool get ? Always the same story
By Anonymous
These sticking plasters don’t inspire confidence. That said, they’ve wanted to get investment in Salford Central for a while. Not sure we can see the total picture until they unveil the rail component of the Bee Network later this year. With luck this is enough to bridge to a Starmer government that will grasp the nettle.
By Rich X
It would be useful if the Manchester Task Force also included Passenger User Group’s
By Anonymous
So we’ve waited years and all they have to offer us is a consultation?
Unbelievably weak. Why don’t they just be honest and say they don’t care about northern England, would be less insulting for everyone
By Anonymous
Why does anyone in the North of England vote for this shower? This proposal is an insult.
By Anonymous
If there`s money being doled out Steve Rotheram needs to get on the phone asap to the Government, Liverpool has long had plans to ease the pressure on Lime Street etc by re-using the Wapping and Victoria tunnels in order to take local traffic into Liverpool Central and other parts of the Merseyrail network. Central station is also in need of expansion as at present it`s badly overcrowded especially on the Northern Line, so come on Steve make a move.
By Anonymous
1.5billion pounds is being spent doing up Liverpool Street station ,in East London. Still the betrayal of the North by our own government continues.
By Elephant
What’s to stop them not delivering on these proposals too? It’s clear that there’s a bottleneck on the Oxford Rd corridor, they aren’t going to achieve anything on the cheap
By Levelling Up Manager
Over crowded in underground stations in Liverpool and Lime St is far too small ?
By Anonymous
Rail investment has been a disaster in many EU countries like Spain and transport investment in Berlin is a big issue there, you can easily overspend on these things and the benefits are tiny
By Dan
Defeat dressed up as victory. Manchester’s chronic rail congestion needs a proper solution involving some real investment (not unlike Liverpool’s loop link system). Investigate a rail tunnel on an east west axis from Ordsall to Piccadilly and upgrade the Trans Pennine route and former Liverpool Manchester Railway. A a whole lot cheaper than tunnelling through the Pennines to Bradford…
By Ian Wray
Berlin has a transport system we could only dream of Dan.Vienna has better trains linking its airport with the centre, than we have going to London. This country is a transport banana republic, and the further from London you are the worse it is. I paid the same price for a return ticket from Flixton to Oxford Road, as I did for a return to Rome, from Naples. The infrastructure in all our great cities needs billions, not these pathetic tiny sums. Andy Burnham is trying to do open heart surgery in boxing gloves, in GM. This will not be enough to paint a few forms on the platforms.
By Elephant
How much was Crossrail 2 again ?
£30 Billion ?
Just sayin’
By Dave
Another Tory betrayal and smack in the face. What’s so disgusting is many people in these comments seem to have no idea how insultingly low £72m actually is. It should be many times more than this. When are people going to wake to these Tory disaster capitalist Brexidiots who have ruined us over 13 years.
By Anonymous
4 tracking between Deansgate and Piccadilly was the second part of the project that built the Ordsall curve. Job half done, congested rail corridor and today’s solution is just to run fewer trains. Very disappointing and another betrayal of the North.
By Andrew Martin
Our country is an embarrassment when it comes to transport infrastructure. I’m lucky enough to have traveled to many places on our planet. What strikes you is often the quality of the transport infrastructure in the second and even third tier cites of the countries I’ve visited.
We meanwhile have to put up with half backed proposals, I say proposals because even those are often not delivered. I don’t know that things will ever change……
By Man Man
Elephant every Berliner I know would tell you not to envy their transport, it’s been a complete waste of money, not needed, not necessary, good money after bad
By Dan
The two tracks between Oxford Road and Piccadilly face more pressure than any stretch of rail in the western world. It acts as a local metro, an airport link, plus throw in all the intercity services to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Chester, Leeds. People in the industry were working on detailed architectural designs for this stretch around a decade ago. The North has lost out on so much growth opportunities since then. Looking at all the transport funding down south makes you realise we live in a second class political environment. We need to break free of London’s control of the purse strings.
By Shameful
The north needs to earn it, quite frankly the taxpayers of the South East are already paying for most of our services, why should they pay even more?
By DH
The Bond Street Crossrail station OVERSPEND was £570 million. Original station priced at £110 million. For one station. And still delivered late
By Context