Plans for two new platforms at Manchester’s busiest train station have been scrapped in favor of a “new approach” which will see a £72m investment in rail improvements across the region.
Network Rail said it has withdrawn its planning application for platforms 15 and 16 at Manchester Piccadilly station after submitting its original proposal in 2014.
Asked why the plans had been scrapped, the Department for Transport said: “Network Rail confirmed that the withdrawn application did not represent a good use of public money after passenger use in Manchester changed and not solved today’s problems.”
Instead, a third platform will be built at Salford Crescent station and track improvement works will be carried out in north Manchester to deal with delays and overcrowding, the DfT said. Manchester Victoria station will also have additional platform entry and exit points.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said Manchester Evening News: “On the one hand we have a good announcement regarding… but on the other side of the city we have confusion and uncertainty again. What we need is a coherent plan for the railways in central Manchester.”
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “We cannot help but be disappointed that plans for two new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, which have been on the cards for so long, have been abandoned by the government without equivalent commitments .”
Plans for the new platforms were aimed at tackling congestion at the busy station. CN understands that Network Rail had not appointed a supplier for the proposed platforms as the project was only at the planning stage.
The DfT said it has asked the cross-industry Manchester taskforce to consider “alternative options to better serve passengers” and support the £26m already being invested to improve services at Manchester Piccadilly stations, Airport and Oxford Road.
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s managing director, north west and central region, said the body was removing the planning application so it can “move forward with a new approach, which we will consult with residents and businesses later on year”.
He described the new plans and funding as “really positive, allowing us to continue to fix the infrastructure around central Manchester so we can run trains more reliably”.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “This investment supports our commitment to transform travel across the North by delivering much-needed infrastructure improvements in Manchester.”
Along with HS2, the TransPennine route upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, Harper said it reflected a promise to “improve opportunities for passengers across the region and leave a positive impact for generations to come”.
