Media centre

Friday 12 Jul 2013

Network Rail’s plans for faster, more frequent services across the North

Region & Route:

Network Rail is exploring options to improve the railway around Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations as part of the Northern Hub – a programme of investment to deliver faster, more frequent services across the North of England and stimulate economic growth by better connecting towns and cities. The plans were unveiled to city-wide stakeholders this week ahead of public consultation.

The scheme includes options to install two new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, adjacent to the existing platform 14, and widening the railway corridor around Oxford Road station. This would enable more trains to travel through central Manchester, including:

- An increase from 10 to 14 passenger trains per hour in each direction
- An extra path for freight trains, from 1 to 2 trains per hour
- A consistent 30mph speed through the city centre

Network Rail has drawn up alignment options for the new sections of railway and will be asking people for feedback on the emerging ideas. The comments received from the public will help inform the detail of the plans.

Dyan Crowther, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “The Northern Hub is an important investment programme for the North of England. It will create space for up for 700 more trains every day and help provide over £4bn worth of wider economic benefits for the region. The plans for Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations are a key part of the Hub and we look forward to working with stakeholders and the local community to develop the proposals.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "The Northern Hub will bring massive improvements to rail services across the North West and support the economy of the city, the wider region and indeed the whole of northern England with an estimated 20,000 - 30,000 new jobs and £4bn of additional benefits.

“However, due to the sheer scale of this project, it will inevitably have some impact on the city centre, and we are working closely with Network Rail, as well as with residents and businesses, to make sure that any disturbance will be kept to a minimum. While the Northern Hub project is a vital piece of infrastructure bringing many benefits, it’s also vital that the city centre continues to function during its construction."

Emma Antrobus, policy manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce said: “We are delighted to see the specific projects within the Northern Hub scheme being consulted on more quickly than expected, after we have campaigned so hard for the scheme to be delivered. The improvements on the Hub will provide a boost to the economy of the whole of the North of England and particularly for Manchester, offer more trains and faster services into and out of the centre, connecting people and jobs.”

Network Rail will assess the consultation feedback before progressing the plans. A second round of consultation is expected to take place later this year.

The plans will be available to view on www.networkrail.co.uk/oxpicc. If the scheme is approved, work will start in 2016 and trains are expected to run on the new track in December 2018.