Back in February, a major nine‑day shutdown was enforced on Manchester Piccadilly station as engineers carried out a “once‑in‑a‑generation” upgrade on the main routes into the city. Now, Manchester’s busiest train station is set to see disruption once again, as Piccadilly shuts down on Sunday 22 March for routine follow up work.
Passengers travelling to Manchester are being thanked for their patience after a multimillion-pound upgrade to tracks outside the station. Network Rail and its partner Central Rail Systems Alliance overhauled large sections of track and surrounding infrastructure across six lines between 14-22 February.
What did the works at Piccadilly station achieve?
During the nine-day closure, engineers replaced:
- Eleven sets of points
- 9km of signalling and telecoms cabling
- 4,000 timber sleepers with modern concrete equivalents
- 5,500 tonnes of new railway foundation stone (ballast)
- Signalling and other lineside equipment
The newly installed infrastructure updates track which was last replaced in the late 1980s.
While platforms 1-12 were closed to all passenger trains, improvements also took place inside the station itself to repaint and repoint platform edges, improve emergency lighting and thoroughly litter pick the tracks between platforms to make the most of such a rare closure of the main train shed.
Why is Manchester Piccadilly closing again?
Manchester Piccadilly will be closed again on Sunday 22 March to allow workers to complete routine follow up work to secure the new railway foundation stone through a process called tamping. The tracks/platform that were affected previously will be most likely be the ones impacted again.
Manchester Piccadilly is a key stop on the West Coast Main Line – Europe’s busiest mixed-use rail line which connects London to Scotland – and this work is the latest effort to upgrade the line for generations to come, with more than £400m to be spent in the coming year.
As the gateway to Manchester Piccadilly, any faults on this section of railway can have knock-on effects across the entire railway network.
What time will Manchester Piccadilly be closed until?
This will impact trains until lunchtime with passengers advised to check the National Rail website if planning travel on those dates.
