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Thursday 21 Apr 2011

STUNNING NEW IMAGES OF FUTURE MANCHESTER VICTORIA STATION

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National

Network Rail today reveals stunning new images of the future station at Manchester Victoria. The announcement came on the day that George Osborne, MP for Tatton, visited the station to hear about the benefits rail investment brings to local people and businesses.

Network Rail today reveals stunning new images of the future station at Manchester Victoria. The announcement came on the day that George Osborne, MP for Tatton, visited the station to hear about the benefits rail investment brings to local people and businesses.

The new visuals show how the station could look in less than five years time. They are an early indication of how the station could be transformed into a major regional interchange, with plans for wider investment being developed separately as part of the Northern Hub scheme. With this added investment, improvements to the railway in the region would top £700m, including newly electrified lines between Manchester and Liverpool.

Graham Botham, Programme Sponsor, Network Rail said: “This is great news for passengers at Victoria. The numbers of people using the station could double by 2019, with faster, more frequent trains eventually to Leeds and Liverpool as part of the Northern Hub plans, so we need a station that reflects Manchester’s vibrant city centre.

“Our plans see Victoria transformed by the end of 2014, acting as a further catalyst in an area where the Co-operative Group is regenerating 20 acres of land around the station. That’s why we have been working so closely with the city council and English Heritage to resolve any planning issues resulting from the station’s listed status.”

The Rt Hon George Osborne, MP for Tatton, visiting the station today said:

"It's great to see first hand how impressive this new station is going to be, and it's great to hear how the project is going to bring new jobs and new investment from businesses."

A stunning new station

• A brand new, state of the art roof will flood the station with natural light rather than rain. It is likely to be made of ETFE – the material used at Piccadilly station and the Eden Project. The £20m cost is to be split between Network Rail (£16m) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) (£4m).

• The improvements future proof the station allowing for the imminent electrification of the line to Liverpool and would allow for improvements to services included in the Northern Hub proposals by Network Rail.

• Network Rail and TfGM are developing plans to improve Victoria station yet further. These include new shops and cafes, better Metrolink facilities, new and improved links to the MEN arena and refurbishment and renewal of the Grade II listed station building.

• A public consultation will be held on the plans. This is likely to take place in the autumn before a listed building application is submitted to the city council in the winter. If consent is granted early, construction would begin in Summer 2013 with completion by Winter 2014.

Our plan for the future of the region

Victoria station upgrade - £20m - See above.

The Northern Hub - Proposed £530m (£85m now funded)

• The first £85m part of the Northern Hub project (known as the Ordsall Chord) was given the go ahead in the recent Budget. This new piece of railway will connect Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations and could see most fast trans-Pennine services going via Manchester Victoria station – a much quicker route – as soon as 2016.

• Network Rail and regional partners are fully committed to the full Northern Hub scheme. Creating a projected £4.2bn of benefits and 23,000 extra jobs, it will be highlighted as a crucial project for Government to consider within a rail industry wide plan to be published in September 2011. This wider scheme enables a 40% increase in trains per day across the region (700 extra train services per day) with an extra 3.5 million passengers per year travelling on faster, more frequent services from Manchester to Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.

• The full Northern Hub improvements would mean four fast trains every hour between Liverpool and Manchester and six between Manchester and Leeds.

North West Electrification - £124m

• The Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street route (known as the Chat Moss route) is to be electrified delivering a faster and more reliable railway with much-needed additional capacity for passengers. This full scheme is in development and estimated at £124m. The first ‘on the ground’ work begins later this month.

• Plans for further electrification in the North West are being developed.

Improved accessibility - £18m

• Access for All improvements, providing step free access at stations including Cheadle Hulme, Liverpool Central, Manchester O/Road and Stalybridge.

Additional station improvements - £9m

• Improvements at stations in Bolton, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria as part of the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP).