Manchester Piccadilly set to close for £8m upgrades
Network Rail will improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to the station, aiming for a step-change in the reliability of the 400,000 trains that service it every year.
Work will replace 11 sets of switches, renew 9,000 metres of cabling, and swap timber sleepers with concrete equivalents, as well as modernise lineside equipment across six lines.
The £7.9m upgrades will take place over nine days between 14 and 22 February 2026. During this time, no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly.
Access to Manchester Airport will also be temporarily disrupted.
Stockport will temporarily be the main terminus for those arriving from the south on the West Coast Mainline.
Platforms 1-12 will be shut while work is ongoing, though a limited westbound service will run from platforms 13 and 14.
Julien Dehornoy, North West and Central deputy regional managing director at Network Rail, said: “We’re investing £7.9m in renewing the Piccadilly corridor, a stretch of track critical to the journeys of around 400,000 trains into Manchester every year.
“This work is going to significantly reduce disruption for the many passengers who regularly use this route. Once the job is done, we will have a better, more reliable railway.
“The major overhaul of six railway lines can only take place during a full railway closure, and we are working closely with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester, and Manchester City Council on alternative travel plans to keep people on the move, the full details of which will be published in mid-November.”
Simon Elliott, Network Director for TfGM, added: “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.
“While unfortunately there will be some short-term disruption due to the nature of the works, through the Bee Network we’re committed to working with rail industry colleagues to ensure people can still move easily across Greater Manchester while these essential upgrades take place.”
Why not upgrade Victoria station. The fumes from platforms 5 and 6 are abominable
By B Whittall
Nearly I come from London to Manchester we don’t arrive in Piccadilly on time, I hope this makes the trains more efficient and reliable
By Anonymous
They need to improve the northern connections, Oxford road etc. The twins are shocking, regularly break down, cancelled, delayed or 2 carriages at rush hour. It’s just not fair for commuters. I know of people who’ve lost their jobs because they’ll can’t be reliable.
By Anonymous
Closing it for 9 days in February
Shame they hadn’t organised it better and done 2 days of work over the Christmas close down thus mitigating the effects of a 9 day close down to passengers.
By Steve
@Steve, they cant do 9 days work in 2 days. February half term is probably as quiet as Piccadilly gets during the year. Let’s just hope we dont get the wrong type of snow in Feb!
By Anonymous
What happened to the plans for through platforms, 13 and 14, which were to have been modernise platforms, 13 and 14 and also to build new through platforms (15 and 16) over Fairfield Street to alleviate congestion for trains from Liverpool, Preston, Wigan and Southport?
This latest scheme sounds like another set of half measures when the real issue relates to the twin tracks to the west to Oxford Road and Deansgate a section of line which is crying out for widening to 4 tracks.
They need to address the route cause and deliver the original Northern Hub Package C Works that they shied away from when they built the ‘White Elephant’ sorry Ordsall Chord….The Chord only works if you widened the line over the arches parallel to Whitworth Street.
By Shadow
OK, but where is the actually upgrade? When I worked in Manchester I went out of my way never to try and squeeze on at Oxford Road, if that train also stopped at Piccadilly. Then Piccadilly got just as bad. A big relief when I could have a dignified commute after moving out.
By Black Rose
I want to be rational and think ‘good that theyre investing in maintenance’.
But after decades of so called upgrades to the west coast line the rail services seem more unreliable than ever; it’s hard to be positive about a 9 day closure.
After all these years of ‘investment’, the result is an absolute rubbish railway provision with obscene prices that completely pales in convenience compared to renting a car and driving.
By Anonymous
At last ! hopefully the work planned covers the ladder from the eastern lines over to the slow lines? not before time tho. looks like it’s going to be like for like maintenance,renew to maintain….
By Bally
They should have spanned over to Mayfield for extra lines 20 years ago.. Piccadilly cannot expand anymore.. there won’t be an underground access for at least 10 years.. closing the grand central was a mistake.. transport shouldn’t be last on a cities development agenda .. and should always come before building permissions.. this is the only thing they can do for a ..slight improvement.. until it wears out from the huge use it is supporting again
By Anonymous