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Wednesday 22 Jun 2016

Section of Manchester ring road to close this weekend as part of ongoing Ordsall Chord railway upgrade work

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

A number of railway arches which make up a disused section of railway will be removed this weekend as work continues to build the Ordsall Chord.

The work, part of Network Rail’s £1bn+ investment in the railway in the north of England, will mean a section of Trinity Way will be closed to traffic as a safety because of the closeness of the road to the demolition site.

The four arches are being removed to allow the Ordsall Chord to be tied into the railway.

From 8pm on Saturday, 25 June until 6am on Monday, 27 June 2016 the north east bound and south west bound carriageways will be closed to traffic between Hampson Street and Irwell Street junctions. Diversions will be in place and clearly signed while the vital work takes place.

The Ordsall Chord will link Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria stations and will be completed by December 2017. It which will help deliver a more reliable, faster and efficient railway to the ever increasing numbers of passengers who use the train every year and is part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

Nick Spall, route delivery director for Network Rail said: “The closure of Trinity Way for this short period of time is essential to allow us to continue work on the Ordsall Chord. Railway arches at Middlewood Viaduct, which is close to Trinity Way, will be removed and for safety reasons it is necessary for the road to close.

“The time has been chosen so disruption to drivers is kept to a minimum. It has been planned in consultation with Manchester City Council and Salford City Council and we apologise for any inconvenience it may cause.”

Once built the chord will connect Manchester’s main train stations for the first time and help support new direct links to Manchester Airport from across the north.  It will also contribute to the ongoing regeneration of the area by providing links to new development sites for homes and businesses as well as creating new public realm spaces.

Heritage is a key part of the project and the famous Stephenson’s Bridge, a Grade I listed structure, will be revealed for the first time since the 1800s and restored for the public to admire.  The Ordsall Chord will sit on top of the bridge, combining the historic railway in the area with the new.