Media centre

Monday 19 Oct 2026

Rail upgrades in Manchester enter into service ready for improved journeys

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

A raft of railway upgrades which will enable longer trains with more seats and more reliable journeys in future are now complete in Manchester.

In the last week three schemes - which form an overall investment of £90m and were delivered by Kier on behalf of Network Rail – officially entered into service and have become part of the rail network.

This weekend (17/18 October), engineers carried out rigorous final checks and tests to two new railway turnbacks and their signalling systems the east and west of Manchester Victoria station.

Turnbacks are sidings where trains can wait away from the main lines - keeping routes and stations clear for other services on the network.

The two new sidings at Oldfield Road and Brewery Junction* entered into service today (Monday 19 October).

Now complete it allows train driver training to start ready for the benefits of the new infrastructure to be felt for passengers from the May 2027 timetable.

From then it will specifically benefit Manchester Victoria station where some trains currently sit empty on platforms for up to 40 minutes.

The turnback upgrades follow a new third platform at Salford Crescent station being brought onto the network last Monday (12 October). 

For the time being trains will only stop there during disruption, but Platform 3 and its new facilities will fully open to passengers when timetables change on Sunday 13 December.

The £21m Salford Crescent upgrades also include a new lift, staircase and ticket gate lines.

All three projects are part of the multi-year Manchester Rail Upgrade** programme, to build a bigger, more reliable and better-connected railway for millions of passengers across the North West. 

Dan Robinson, Network Rail principal programme sponsor, said: “Today marks a significant milestone for these multi-million-pound projects as they are officially connected to the national rail network and train driver training can begin so their benefits can soon be realised for passengers.

“When combined with our future upgrades as part of the Manchester Rail Upgrade between now and the mid-2030s, it will mean more frequent, longer and newer electric trains with more seats serving the North West to encourage more passengers and grow the region’s railway and economy for the next generation.”

Chris Nutton, TransPennine Express major projects and Transpennine Route Upgrade director, said: “These upgrades are an important step towards delivering a more reliable railway for our customers across the North. The new infrastructure in Manchester will help create the capacity and flexibility needed to support more services in the future.

“Working closely with Network Rail and our industry partners, we're investing in improvements that will make a real difference to customers' journeys, while also supporting wider plans to transform rail travel for generations to come.”

Mandy Duncan, Kier Infrastructure managing director for rail and aviation, said: “We’re proud of the work delivered by our teams alongside Network Rail at Oldfield Road, Brewery Junction and Salford Crescent, and look forward to seeing the benefits these will bring to passengers as part of the Manchester Rail Upgrade.

“We will now build on this partnership through our work at Manchester Airport station.”

Meanwhile, passengers are reminded of the next Manchester Rail Upgrade project which will bring changes to journeys in the coming weeks.

Manchester Airport station will be closed for one day on Sunday 6 December 2026 as work ramps up to lengthen platforms and change the railway layout between now and 2028.

Rail replacement buses will operate between Wilmslow and Manchester Airport on that Sunday, with additional staff on hand to assist customers throughout the day. Metrolink services will not be affected by the work. The station will reopen again as normal on Monday 7 December.

Passengers planning to travel to or from Manchester Airport by rail are encouraged to check their journey before travelling and allow extra time. 

For more information on the project, please visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/manchester-airport-station