This project represents a significant investment in the railway in Manchester and in conjunction with the Northern Hub will see more trains and faster journeys, improving travel between major towns and cities across the north. Work at Manchester Victoria over Christmas 2013 includes:
• On the east side of the station, the track under Cheetham Hill road bridge will be dug out and lowered to accommodate the over head line equipment for electric trains
• To the west of the station, our engineers will prepare and install the foundations for the steel work to carry the overhead electric wires providing power for the electric trains and to connect into the newly electrified railway to Newton Le Willows
• Work to redevelop the station concourse continues
• Enabling work on the Metrolink track to allow a third platform to be installed at the station as part of the second city crossing
More on the Northern Hub
Temporary service alterations
So we can complete the work safely, there will be no Northern Rail trains serving Manchester Victoria after the last service on Christmas Eve until Thursday 2 January 2014 when services resume. Please check travel details thoroughly when booking tickets and before travelling.
Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Deansgate stations will all remain open.
Northern Rail services to Liverpool, Preston, Blackpool, Wigan, Southport and Blackburn will start/terminate at Manchester Oxford Road or Salford Central
• A shuttle bus will run between Salford Central – Manchester Victoria
• A limited train service will operate to Moston, serving Castleton and Mills Hill
• Services to/from Rochdale, Bradford and Leeds via Hebden Bridge will start/terminate at Rochdale with a rail replacement bus service to Manchester Victoria
Northern Rail services to/from Huddersfield via Stalybridge will start/terminate at Ashton-under-Lyne
• Buses will run between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne
• Additional TransPennine Express services will stop at Stalybridge providing more trains into Manchester Piccadilly
Metrolink services will continue to operate as normal from Manchester Victoria, and additional double trams will be running on the new Ashton line over the Christmas period while the improvements are delivered and the accompanying changes to Northern service are in place.
“With more passengers and more journeys being made than ever before, demand for rail is booming. The work happening at Manchester Victoria is a key part of our plans to improve rail across Manchester and the north of England.
There is never a good time to carry out major work and on balance, completing the work over the holiday period was the best time to complete this essential project. Train services are quieter at this time of year and fewer people are expected to experience changes to their travel plans compared to the alternative, which would have been to stagger the work over dozens of weekends and bank holidays,” Martin Frobisher, area director, Network Rail.
North West electrification
The project is part of the £400 million North West electrification scheme that will allow electric train services to be introduced from the station in December 2014. During the closure, work will also continue to deliver the redevelopment of the station.