NEW PLATFORM READY NEARLY TWO WEEKS EARLY

Thursday 4 Dec 2008

NEW PLATFORM READY NEARLY TWO WEEKS EARLY

Region & Route:

"The platform now standing at Manchester Airport station has arrived 11 days early" - that’s the sort of announcement you could expect to hear at the station as Network Rail, GMPTE, the Northern Way and Manchester Airport celebrate the completion of a major project.

A new railway timetable starts on 14 December and there will be around 40% more trains using the west coast main line, including services to and from Manchester Piccadilly via both Macclesfield and Wilmslow. The new £15m third platform at the airport station is crucial to the success of the new timetable as it relieves congestion on the approaches to Piccadilly.

Peter Strachan, Network Rail's route director explained: "The fact that the new platform is ready for use this early is a fantastic achievement and shows just what partnership working is all about. I congratulate everyone who has been involved.

"The approaches to Piccadilly station are extremely congested with trains coming and going to virtually every part of Great Britain. Having the extra platform gives us much more flexibility and improves the overall performance of trains in the area."

Work started just over a year ago and the final critical element was the running of a test train on the new line. This was carried out in the early hours of the morning at the end of October.

The test went ahead without a hitch, which meant the last little pieces of the jigsaw, such as re-numbering the existing platforms and changing the wording on the station information screens, could be fitted into place to bring the platform into use nearly two weeks early.

Paul Griffiths, GMPTE's Interim Projects Director, said: "The early completion of the third platform is a considerable achievement and is a great example of how, by working with our partners, we can deliver major rail projects early and under budget.

"This development will have a significant impact on the reliability of services calling at Manchester Airport and, in turn, services passing through Manchester Piccadilly and beyond."

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, added: "The delivery of this important project ahead of schedule is great news. As a major international gateway to the North, improving access to Manchester Airport is vital. This scheme will increase platform capacity at the airport's rail station and improve reliability and punctuality of rail services to and from the airport across the North. It is a great example of how strong partnership working is making a real difference."

Geoff Muirhead CBE, Group Chief Executive for the Manchester Airports Group, said: "Manchester Airport is committed to encouraging more people to travel to and from the airport by public transport. The opening of the third rail platform not only contributes to this but also ensures ultra reliable rail travel. We look forward to welcoming Metrolink in the near future and perhaps the West Coast mainline connecting directly into the airport too."

Adam Green, Managing Director Carillion Civil Engineering said: "Everyone connected with this project has pulled together and collaborated which has meant that it has been delivered not just on time, but earlier than originally anticipated. This is great news for our client and for their customers."

Notes to editors

Milestones 1. Work started just over a year ago with the installation of equipment that allowed the overhead power lines to be switched off to individual platforms, rather than closing the station as a whole when work needs to be carried out. That meant the work had virtually no impact on train services which could continue to run while the platform was built. 2. The next major hurdle was to ‘slide’ a new bridge section into position to carry Outwood Lane over the new platform. The road is the main route into and out of Terminals 1 and 3 and passes over the end of the station platforms and railway tracks. 3. The concrete bridge section, similar in shape to an upside down letter U, was built alongside the existing platforms in an area where the railway embankment had been excavated. The road was closed for two weeks in February so the site could be prepared. The bridge was then jacked up on a multi-wheeled vehicle and slid into position. The operation was such a success that the road was reopened four days early and that set the tone for the rest of the project. 4. Once the bridge was in place the platform itself had to be built where the bridge section had previously been, and the new track, signalling and overhead power line had to be installed and joined up to the existing railway. 5. The final critical element was the running of the test train. • The £15 million project is being jointly funded by Network Rail, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and The Northern Way, and Manchester Airport plc is leasing the land needed for the extra platform to Network Rail. Train services are provided by Northern and TransPennine Express • The Northern Way is a unique collaboration between the three Northern Regional Development Agencies: Yorkshire Forward, Northwest Regional Development Agency and One NorthEast • Working on behalf of the main contractor Carillion, Tony Gee and Partners (TGP) carried out the permanent and temporary structural work and highway design for the scheme. TGP also provided the design of the new station platform and canopy

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