This week Network Rail began its overhaul of the waiting lounge for platforms 13 and 14, which are the station's busiest platforms with approximately 40,000 passengers passing through each day.
The platforms see around 14 trains stop briefly each hour before heading on to Manchester Airport, Liverpool, North Wales, Wigan, Southport, Bolton, Blackpool, the Lakes, the North East and Scotland.
The £1.67m upgrade project will see the lounge undergo the following changes:
- Two new shops created in place of the existing one
- New seating across the lounge
- New charging points for mobile phones and laptops
- Accessible waiting area for passengers with additional mobility needs
Whilst the work is underway, toilets and seating areas will remain open. However, some changes will be made for passengers, such as the closure of the current Costa coffee shop.
Customers are encouraged to make use of an array of food and drink outlets on the main concourse. To find out more about stores and outlets on the main concourse, please click here.
Work on the project is expected to be completed during the early part of 2024 and follows an earlier investment for platforms 13 and 14 supporting accessibility for those with visual impairments and included:
- Painting of new safety markings
- Installation of tactile studs
Kyla Thomas, Network Rail station manager for Manchester Piccadilly, said:
“The waiting area above platforms 13 and 14 is crucial to how we manage passengers getting safely on and off their trains, so it's really important for us to make this investment so we can make it even better for customers.”
“While trains won't be disrupted during the work, some of the facilities will be out of action while we build two new retail units and carry out a phased upgrade of the seating area and toilet facilities. I'd like to thank people in advance for their patience while we improve this well-used part of Piccadilly station for the tens of thousands of passengers who use it every day.”
I personally think HS2 should have never happened and instead our entire existing railway have been upgraded to allow faster trains and maybe even Double Decker trains like they have in other countries, along with many other upgrades to stations etc… They could have upgraded our entire railway for the cost of HS2 or maybe less.
No wonder they cancelled hs2 when we have value for money projects as this!