Passengers are being advised of the essential work which is set to take place this Christmas and New Year on Manchester Piccadilly's platforms 13 and 14.
The project will see £5.1m invested into the well-used platforms and will provide even surfaces, easy-to-see markings and raised platform edges for those who are visually impaired, earlier in the year the platforms also saw a renewal to its lift in order to support accessibility for passengers.
The festive upgrade work will also see a brand-new drainage system put in place.
14 Trains every hour stop at platforms 13 and 14 stop briefly before making their way to Manchester Airport, Liverpool, North Wales, Wigan, Southport, Bolton, Blackpool, the Lake District, North East and Scotland.
Passengers who use platforms 13 and 14 will notice preparation work this November including a hoarding area which is being put in place to safely store building equipment and materials.
Changes in train services will also come into action for the platforms over Christmas and the New Year and will see trains not calling at platforms 13 and 14 as follows:
- For ten days between Sunday the 25th of December and Tuesday the 3rd of January.
- From Sunday the 22nd of January until Monday the 23rd of January.
Rail customers are being advised to plan their travel in advance by visiting: www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Scott Green, station manager at Manchester Piccadilly said: “This much-needed platform upgrade will be a great way to welcome in the new year, and an important investment to keep these very busy platforms safe for passengers. We've tried to plan the work so it causes as little disruption to people's journeys as possible, but unfortunately resurfacing work like this is impossible to do without having to shut the platforms completely. I'd urge people to please be aware when the work is taking place and got check National Rail Enquiries to plan their journeys and find out which stations will be available to them instead.”
Chris Jackson, Regional Director for Northern said: “We welcome the commencement of these works and the improvement to the customer experience they will bring for passengers on our services in the North West. It is always important to invest in rail infrastructure to ensure we can keep the region moving, getting people from where they are to where they want to be.”
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express said: “The investment being made into improving journeys for our customers who use platforms 13 and 15 at Manchester Piccadilly station is fantastic news, with the end result being a more accessible station and overall a better experience for our customers.”
“However, these major works will mean significant changes to our services just after Christmas and into the New Year, and changes for those using our trains.”
“We strongly advise customers planning travel on our services over the festive period to plan ahead and allow extra time, as journeys may take longer than usual. Anyone travelling during this period should check their journey very carefully before travelling as other engineering work is planned to take place across the TPE network.”
A brief summary of important changes and impact on train services for TransPennine Express are as follows:
- For most of the festive period, TransPennine Express trains that usually call at platforms 13 and 14 will not be able to stop at Manchester Piccadilly station and customers are advised to use Manchester Oxford Road or Manchester Victoria to start or end their journey
- When the platforms are closed on the 31st of December and the 1st and 2nd of January, all TransPennine Express services from the North West and Scotland will start and terminate at Preston, with onward connections to Manchester and Manchester Airport.
- Services from Liverpool via Warrington Central will terminate at Manchester Oxford Road
- Services from the east will operate as normal, except the service from Leeds to Manchester Airport which will terminate at Manchester Victoria and will not go to Manchester Airport.
Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director from EMR said: “We would like to thank our customers for their patience over the Christmas period as Network Rail carry out the platform upgrade work.”
“Although we are unable to run trains to Manchester Piccadilly, customers will be able to alight at Manchester Oxford Road or change at Stockport for Manchester Airport.”
Network Rail will also be undertaking vital work on Manchester Piccadilly's roof during the Christmas period. The station will be closed for Christmas and to complete the £1.5m project from Sunday the 25th until Tuesday the 27th of December alongside Sunday the 15th to Monday the 16th of January.
The closures will see Network Rail engineers able to get all of the work completed at once instead of creating further disruption for passengers with work spread over a number of weekends during 2023.
Needs sorting! This part of Piccadilly Station is a disgrace. Not helped of course by the attitude of Northern Rail staff!
I wonder why platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly do get very busy and I do think that there should be more extra platforms to cope with the increasing number of people using trains in Manchester. Has Network Rail got any plans to add more extra platforms to relieve the stress of congestion that Manchester Piccadilly needs.
With platforms 1-12 that are terminus platforms and platforms 13 and 14 are through platforms with trains operating to Manchester Victoria, Manchester Airport, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Wigan North Western and Wallgate and other destinations.
I am 75 and every upgrade in the past has not solved the (impossible) situation here. For heavens sake it needs a very expensive rebuild before HS2 arrives. Levelling up – prove it!