Tuesday 15 Oct 2013
Better facilities for Salford Crescent passengers
- Region & Route:
Passengers are benefitting from better access and facilities at Salford Crescent station following a £12m upgrade which will allow the station to meet growing passenger demand in the city.
Dyan Crowther, Network Rail route director said: “Along with the rest of the rail network, more passengers are using Salford Crescent than ever before, with demand forecast to continue increasing in years to come. The rebuilding of Salford Crescent delivers a better experience for passengers and will allow it to handle the ever increasing numbers of people who want to use the railways.
“In the long term, we have big plans for further improving the rail network across the north through the Northern Hub, which will create space for up for 700 more trains every day and help provide over £4bn worth of wider economic benefits for the region.”
Salford City Council and Urban Vision provided support and funding for a new taxi lay-by, improved passenger walkways, and the refurbishment of the footpath down to the platform.
Opening the revamped station, Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart, said: “Salford is one of the fastest growing cities in Britain and we need our local transport to be able to cope with that.
“The changes by Network Rail and Salford City Council mean that Salford Crescent, a crucial part of the local train network, can meet the huge demand it now faces from passengers.
“Salford is growing, jobs are being created and now commuters can get to work more easily.”
Lee Wasnidge, Area Director for Northern Rail added: “Salford Crescent is a station on the rise; in line with investment in the north west and with passenger numbers continuing to grow, improvements in access and facilities will deliver better journeys for our customers.”
Notes to editors
Salford Crescent is a key interchange point for several rail routes converging on Manchester. It is also used by students from the nearby University of Salford.
Prior to the station upgrade works, the ticket office was immediately at the bottom of a staircase leading to the platforms which created a pinch point between passengers buying tickets and those trying to leave the station.
In the peak periods the station became very congested, with large numbers of passengers waiting for trains mixing with those changing trains or leaving the station.
Major improvements are now complete and the station now benefits from a new ticket office accessed off Windsor Bridge on the A6; a main artery into the city centre. This has resulted in a large amount of space on the platforms being freed up. There is a new footbridge and stairwell linking the new ticket office with the platforms and a lift has been introduced, making the station accessible for all.
The existing waiting room was demolished as part of the scheme to provide even more space at platform level and new state of the art platform canopies and seating have been assembled. New passenger information and station announcement systems are integrated into the platform canopies.
The platforms have been lengthened in both directions and give a staggered effect to encourage passengers to occupy the full length of the platform rather than congregate in the middle. Six car train units now operate on the route providing an improved travelling experience for rail users.
The improved Salford Crescent station will complement the highway and public realm work to Chapel Street and the Crescent carried out by Salford City Council and will contribute to the regeneration of the Chapel Street area. It will also benefit the University of Salford’s aspirations to enhance the main Peel Park campus and accessibility to the new MediaCityUK campus.
The project was successfully completed by Network Rail, working with Buckingham Group Contracting Limited and stakeholders including Salford City Council and the University of Salford. The scheme was delivered over a 12 month period and completed 3 months ahead of schedule.
Salford Crescent station remained operational throughout the project.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk