Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
, it hosts long-distance intercity and cross-country services to national destinations including
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
,
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
; regional services to destinations in
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
including
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
; and local commuter services around
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
. It is one of 19 major stations managed by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
. The station has 14 platforms: 12 terminal and two through platforms (numbers 13 and 14). Piccadilly is also a major interchange with the
Metrolink light rail system with two
tram platforms in its
undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area which is relatively open ...
.
Piccadilly is the busiest station in the
Manchester station group
The Manchester station group is a station group (for fares purposes) of four railway stations in Manchester city centre, England; this consists of Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria and Deansgate. The station g ...
with over 30million passenger entries and exits between April 2019 and March 2020 (the other major stations in Manchester are
Oxford Road and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
). As of March 2020, it is the third-busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London (after
Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the Birmingham station group, three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the Rail transport in the United Kingdom, British railway system. It is a ma ...
and
Glasgow Central),
and is also the fourth-busiest
interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system that allows passengers to change from one route to another, often without having to leave a station or pay an additional ...
outside London, with over 2million passengers changing trains annually.
The station hosts services from six train operating companies.
Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Piccadilly station was refurbished, taking five years and costing £100million (in 2002); it was the most expensive improvement on the UK rail network at the time.
Further improvements and expansion plans have been proposed. In December 2014, a
Transport and Works Act
The Transport and Works Act 1992 (TWA) was established by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to provide a system by which the construction of rail transport, tramway, inland waterway and harbour infrastructure could proceed in the UK by ord ...
application was submitted for the construction of two through platforms as part of the ''Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road Capacity Scheme''. As of 2022, this application has not been approved by the incumbent government although Network Rail declared the
Castlefield corridor
The Castlefield corridor (also known as the Deansgate corridor) is a railway corridor between Castlefield junction and Fairfield Street junction in Greater Manchester, England. The corridor forms the eastern end of the southerly Liverpool–Ma ...
through Manchester 'congested' in September 2019.
A new Manchester Piccadilly High Speed station is planned to be built on a viaduct parallel to the north side of the existing station.
The station will have six platforms (three islands) for both terminating
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
trains from London and Birmingham as well as
Northern Powerhouse Rail
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), sometimes referred to unofficially as High Speed 3, is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The phrase was adopted in 2014 for a project ...
trains to Liverpool, Warrington, Huddersfield, Leeds and beyond. The present Piccadilly Metrolink stop is proposed to be relocated from ground-level below the existing station platforms to a new larger four-platform stop located underground below the high speed station. Provision for a second ground-level Metrolink stop at the eastern end of the high speed station to service future Metrolink extensions, to be called Piccadilly Central, also form part of the plans. A
hybrid bill
In the United Kingdom a hybrid bill (which becomes a hybrid instrument or Hybrid Act) is a government measure which affects a particular individual or organisation in a different manner to other individuals or companies in the same class; it thus b ...
was laid in Parliament on 24 January 2022 seeking powers to permit construction of the scheme.
History
Origins
![Manchester RJD 47](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Manchester_RJD_47.JPG)
In June 1840, the
Manchester and Birmingham Railway
The Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between Manchester and Crewe and opened in stages from 1840. Between Crewe and Birmingham, trains were worked by the Grand Junction Railway. The M&BR was merged into the London and North Western ...
(M&BR) opened a temporary terminus on its line to
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
on Travis Street. A large site, long by wide, was cleared of terraced houses and industrial premises to make way for the permanent station ''Store Street'' which was built on top of a viaduct, above ground level. The station was opened adjacent to London Road on 8 May 1842. It had two platforms, offices and passenger amenities and by then the line had been extended to
Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
.
Store Street was designed by M&BR's chief engineer,
George W. Buck
George Watson Buck (1789–1854) was the engineer of the Montgomeryshire Canal in the early 19th century, and was responsible for the unique lock paddle design.
He was later resident engineer during the building of the London and Birmingham Rai ...
, who designed many of the line's structures including the
Stockport Viaduct
Stockport Viaduct carries the West Coast Main Line across the valley of the River Mersey in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England (). It is one of the largest brick structures in the United Kingdom and a major structure of the early railway age ...
.
Charles Hutton Gregory
Sir Charles Hutton Gregory (14 October 1817 – 10 January 1898) was an English people, English civil engineer. He was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers between December 1867 and December 1869.
Charles was the son of Oli ...
was the assistant engineer. The station was shared from the beginning with the
Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne. The Peak District formed a formidable barrier, and ...
(SA&MR) following an agreement made by the promoters in 1837.
The M&BR amalgamated with other railway companies to create the
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
(LNWR) in 1846. The SA&MR changed its name to the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsb ...
(MS&LR) three years later.
Manchester London Road
In 1847, the station was renamed ''London Road''.
In 1849 the
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR) was a suburban railway which operated an route between Altrincham in Cheshire and Manchester London Road railway station (now Piccadilly) in Manchester.
The MSJ&AR line operat ...
(MSJA&R) began using the station after its line from was extended. Its single platform which opened on 1 August 1849 to the south of, and adjacent to the main part of station, was the predecessor of through platforms 13 and 14. The MSJA&R's line connected to the main line south of the station and formed a through route to the LNWR's
line to Liverpool.
![Manchester London Road and Mayfield map 1915 6inch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Manchester_London_Road_and_Mayfield_map_1915_6inch.gif)
By the 1850s, London Road was overcrowded and the relationship between the LNWR and MS&LR had deteriorated. In 1862, work started on rebuilding the station to expand it. The rebuild allowed the station to be divided; the MS&LR occupying the north-eastern side and the LNWR the south-western side. The station was given a new entrance building and concourse with each company having separate booking offices and passenger facilities. A long iron and glass
trainshed
A train shed is a building adjacent to a station building where the tracks and platforms of a railway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof. Its primary purpose is to store and protect from the elements train car ...
was built over the terminal platforms; it had two wide arched spans, one covering the LNWR platforms and the other the MS&LR platforms. On 20 January 1866, a fatal accident occurred during the roof's construction, when part of it collapsed killing two workmen and injuring 30 others. The enquiry determined that the collapse was caused by strong winds and heavy snowfall. At the same time, the viaduct south of the station to
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250.
Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from ...
was widened to carry four tracks, and both companies built
goods station
A goods station (also known as a goods yard or goods depot) or freight station is, in the widest sense, a railway station where, either exclusively or predominantly, goods (or freight), such as merchandise, parcels, and manufactured items, are lo ...
s and
warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
s to the northern side of the passenger station.
Within ten years, the station was again over-crowded as traffic continued to increase and expansion was again required. Between 1880 and 1883, the LNWR widened its side of the station and built more platforms, which were covered by two more wide arched spans to the trainshed. At the same time, the MSJ&AR platform was taken out and rebuilt as an island platform on a girder bridge over Fairfield Street and linked to the main station by a footbridge. In May 1882, the improvements were opened.
In 1897, the MS&LR changed its name to the
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...
(GCR); it opened its own
direct route from the station to London in 1899.
In 1910, the adjacent
Mayfield station opened with four platforms to alleviate overcrowding at London Road. The stations were linked by a footbridge. Mayfield station closed to passengers in 1960 and to all traffic in 1986. The derelict station has remained ''in situ'' despite proposed redevelopment schemes including reopening it to relieve demand.
In October 2013 the station's roof/canopies were demolished due to safety concerns.
![Manchester Piccadilly railway station from the footbridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Manchester_Piccadilly_railway_station_from_the_footbridge.jpg)
Following the
1923 railway grouping, the LNWR amalgamated with several other railway companies to create the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...
(LMS), and the GCR amalgamated with other railways to create the
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
(LNER). The division of the station was maintained and it continued to be operated as two separate stations even after the
nationalisation of the railways in 1948: One side was used by the
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irela ...
and the other by
Eastern Region.
Manchester Piccadilly
![Manchester London Road Station geograph-3004472-by-Ben-Brooksbank](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Manchester_London_Road_Station_geograph-3004472-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
Between 1958 and 1966, London Road was rebuilt in the
West Coast Main Line modernisation programme undertaken by
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
ways. It was renamed "Manchester Piccadilly" on 12 September 1960. Piccadilly is the name of a road and
Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, on the edge of the Northern Quarter.
It takes its name from the adjacent street, Piccadilly, which runs across the city centre from Market Street to London Road. The ga ...
nearby.
![Manchester Picadilly 1989 827033](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Manchester_Picadilly_1989_827033.jpg)
The
London Midland Region
The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irelan ...
rebuilt the station at a cost of £1.75million (equivalent to £ million at prices) in preparation for electric train services to London. Most of the station was rebuilt, except for the Victorian trainsheds which remained mostly unaltered, although the two 1880s spans were shortened towards the concourse end. The station was reconstructed in two phases, 1958–1960 and 1963–1966; the break was the result of a national credit squeeze restricting funding for railway modernisation.
The former MSJA&R through platforms and bridges over Fairfield Street were rebuilt on a
prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...
slab bridge with cantilevered sides for the tracks. The layout in the trainshed was reconfigured to add several platforms. A new concourse and entrance were built, alongside which was a ten-storey office block which housed British Rail staff.
On 11 May 1966, work was completed for the introduction of electric expresses to London.
The approach to the station was also redeveloped. The LNWR goods warehouse alongside the station approach closed in 1965 and a curved office block,
Gateway House, was opened in its place in 1969.
Piccadilly remained open throughout the reconstruction, but there was disruption, and many trains were diverted to
Manchester Mayfield or stations. When the work was completed, those stations were no longer required; they were closed and their services were diverted into Piccadilly.
Picc-Vic tunnel and Metrolink
In the early 1970s, an underground station, ''Piccadilly Low Level'', was proposed as part of the
Picc-Vic tunnel
Picc-Vic was a proposed, and later cancelled, underground railway designed in the early 1970s with the purpose of connecting two major mainline railway termini in Manchester city centre, England. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two sta ...
project.
[ publicity brochure] This scheme proposed creating a direct rail link between Piccadilly and , by building a tunnel and several underground stations under
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
. The project was cancelled in the late 1970s, because of the high cost, and transport planners turned instead towards
light rail as a lower-cost option. This resulted eventually in the
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kin ...
system which opened in the early 1990s linking the two stations by a street-level
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way and linking two converted rail lines to
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
and
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. The
tram stop
A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, bu ...
in the station's undercroft opened in 1992.
Windsor Link
Between 1988 and 1989, Piccadilly's through platforms 13 and 14 were further lengthened, in conjunction with the opening of the
Windsor Link chord in
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, which allowed trains from places to the north of Manchester, such as , ,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and Scotland, to run directly into Piccadilly via the through platforms and continue south to destinations such as , and (from 1993 onwards) . Once completed, it allowed for many services from the north to be diverted from , which was reduced in size. This enhanced Piccadilly's status as Manchester's main station. The link was opened in 1988; it was declared to be fully operational the following year.
2002 redevelopment
![Manchester Piccadilly station approach - April 11 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Manchester_Piccadilly_station_approach_-_April_11_2005.jpg)
Between 1998 and 2002, in preparation for the
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...
, the station underwent a £100million redevelopment. The glass roof of the trainshed, which is a
Grade II listed structure
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
,
was reglazed and repainted. A new main entrance and enlarged concourse with a
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
level, designed by
BDP, replaced the 1960s structure, which had become insufficient for the number of passengers regularly using the station. A
moving walkway
A moving walkway, also known as an autowalk, moving pavement, moving sidewalk, people-mover, travolator, or travelator, is a slow-moving conveyor mechanism that transports people across a horizontal or inclined plane over a short to medium distan ...
was installed to take passengers from the concourse to platforms 13 and 14 on the far south side of the station, which had previously necessitated a long walk. Another entrance was also created on Fairfield Street, which provides access to a new taxi rank along with a drop-off point for private cars.
Electrification
The station is unusual in having seen two different systems of
overhead railway electrification: The first electrified line into London Road was the
MSJA&R line to , a busy commuter route. It was electrified with overhead lines, energised at
1,500 V DC in 1931. London Road was the terminus of the electrification scheme which ran through to the through platforms.
The second line to be electrified using 1,500 V DC was the LNER's
Woodhead Route from Manchester to Sheffield. Work on the scheme commenced in the late 1930s, but was stopped due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, before being restarted in the early 1950s. Electrification was completed in September 1954. The two electric 1,500 V DC lines ran into different parts of the station.
25 kV AC overhead electrification, adopted as the national standard by British Railways, was brought to London Road/Piccadilly in the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
electrification scheme starting in the late-1950s. The main line was electrified to by 1960 and London by 1966. At the same time, the 1,500 V electrification on the Altrincham line was cut back to
Oxford Road to where the new system was extended from the south. The Altrincham line was converted to 25 kV in 1971.
The two systems co-existed for a number of years. The Woodhead Route was closed as a through line in 1981, but local services to
Glossop and Hadfield continued to be operated by 1,500 V trains until the line was converted to 25 kV during 1984.
During the 2010s, the
Northern Hub
The Northern Hub was a rail upgrade programme between 2009 and 2020 in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns, by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottlenec ...
scheme saw electrification extended from
Manchester to Liverpool in 2015, and
Manchester to Preston and through to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
in 2019.
Architecture
![Manchester Picadilly Station Panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Manchester_Picadilly_Station_Panorama.jpg)
The
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
train shed
A train shed is a building adjacent to a station building where the tracks and platforms of a railway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof. Its primary purpose is to store and protect from the elements train car ...
roof which is wide between platforms 1 and 12, comprises four spans; two of the spans, in length, were built over the eastern part of the station during the 1860s while the other two, at the western side measuring , were constructed in the early 1880s. The roof is supported by masonry walls at the outer edges, which have round-headed windows alongside platforms 1 and 12, and rows of
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
s along the platforms in its interior space. The roof spans have an arrangement of
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
es with supporting cast iron
strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
s on
girder
A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ' ...
s, which are evenly spaced between the columns.
As built, the roof was largely covered with slates with some areas of Architectural glass, glazing; over time, the slates were replaced with boarded felt. Between 1997 and 1999, the station roof was refurbished and the traditional cladding (construction), cladding was replaced with around 10,000 panes of toughened glass that 'float' above the wrought iron trusses. Layers of nets have been installed, to catch falling glass in the event of any of the panes were to break.
Below the train shed is the undercroft that was used as a goods station. Cast iron columns and brick arches support the terminal platforms directly above. Since the early 1990s, the undercroft accommodates the Metrolink station, its tracks, Siding (rail), sidings, and car parking.
Before it was reused for the Metrolink, the cast-iron columns throughout the undercroft were encased in concrete as a protective measure against collision.
George W. Buck
George Watson Buck (1789–1854) was the engineer of the Montgomeryshire Canal in the early 19th century, and was responsible for the unique lock paddle design.
He was later resident engineer during the building of the London and Birmingham Rai ...
designed the original skew arch bridge over Fairfield Street; it had ten cast iron arch ribs, which formed one part of the brick arch viaduct, and was topped with open stonework parapets. The bridge was subsequently widened and wrought iron plate girders and transverse girders were added to support longitudinal joists with iron arch plates. In the 1960s, in the reconstruction programme, the cast iron arches and spandrels were encased in concrete.
Platforms 13 and 14 are situated on top of this bridge.
Many of the original station buildings were demolished during the 1960s to clear the way for a new approach.
The main entrance leads to a concourse with ground floor, and since the 2000s,
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
levels. The Fairfield Street entrance leads to the Metrolink station in the undercroft and is linked to the rail platforms by escalators. Between 1997 and 2002, a redevelopment programme revised the station's layout and a glass partition wall with ticket barriers separating the concourse from the platforms was constructed. The station's approach leading to the end of Piccadilly was constructed in 1969 along with the "wavy" fronted
Gateway House designed by the architect Richard Seifert. Gateway House was modernised during 2003.
Facilities
![Manchester Piccadilly concourse (1) 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Manchester_Piccadilly_concourse_%281%29_5.19.jpg)
The Fairfield Street entrance, at basement level, serves the car park, the taxi rank, and the Metrolink station. Above it at track level is a concourse into which the main entrance feeds, housing ticket offices, information points, seating, timetables, toilets, shops, and food and drink outlets. Above the concourse is a second level of food outlets and bars, and the Avanti West Coast First Class Lounge. On the main concourse, doorways in a large glass partition wall access platforms 1 to 12. A Moving walkway, travelator leads to the upper concourse linked by a footbridge, steps and lift to platforms 13 and 14. The island lounge contains retail outlets, toilets and a departure lounge. There are vending machines, waiting areas and snack bars on platforms 13 and 14.
Manchester Piccadilly is accessible for disabled people and has escalators and lifts to all levels, wide-access doors and gates, braille signs, hearing loops and disabled toilet facilities.
Cycle racks are available on Fairfield Street and the long-stay car park and next to the tower block at the station front. During March 2010, Manchester City Council and Network Rail unveiled plans for a 'Cycle Centre' to provide secure facilities and on-site maintenance and hire services. The station has a taxi rank, drop-off/pick-up point, and short- and long-stay car parks.
accessible from Fairfield Street.
The long-stay multi-storey car park is at the rear of the station.
Ticket barriers were installed in Autumn 2016 between platforms 3 and 7, following an application by Virgin Trains.
Ticket barriers were fitted on platforms 1-3 by TransPennine Express, Platforms 9-12 remain ungated but for most of the day are staffed with ticket inspectors.
Layout
Platform 1 is on the north side of the station and the through platforms 13 and 14 are on the south side. Of the terminus platforms,
* Platforms 1-4 are typically used by eastbound services to , New Mills Central railway station, New Mills and via the Hope Valley Line, services on the Glossop Line, and TransPennine Express services to Huddersfield. Northern services to Crewe are also frequently seen from these platforms.
* Platforms 5-9 are the longest and are used mainly by Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry services. Platform 5 usually sees the local Northern services to Chester & Stoke-On-Trent. Platform 9 sees the use of the TransPennine Express services from Cleethorpes - Manchester Airport.
* Platforms 10-12 are considerably shorter than the others and are usually used to accommodate local trains to and , plus Mid-Cheshire line, Buxton Line and South Wales services; platform 12 is the shortest and can only accommodate four coaches.
The main entrance and concourse are to the front of the terminal platforms and the taxi and car drop-off entrance is on the southern side on Fairfield Street. The
Metrolink tram line passes under the station through the undercroft. Its platforms are under the concourse and railway platforms. To the south of Piccadilly, on the opposite side of Fairfield Street, is the derelict station, which was closed for railway use in 1986.
Services
![East Midlands Train at Manchester Piccadilly](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/East_Midlands_Train_at_Manchester_Piccadilly.jpg)
The station has 12 terminus platforms, for services terminating from locations to the south of Manchester, and two through platforms 13 and 14. The platforms are split into A and B sections to allow more than one train to stand. The through platforms 13 and 14 are used by through services via to North Wales,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, North West England, Yorkshire, North East England, Glasgow Central railway station, Glasgow and Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Edinburgh, and through services from Manchester Airport railway station, Manchester Airport.
Manchester Piccadilly is currently served by six Train operating company, train operating companies:
Avanti West Coast
* 3tph to , each with different stopping patterns:
** 1tph calling at , and
** 1tph calling at , , , and
** 1tph calling at , , and
British Rail Class 390, Class 390 ''Pendolino'' units operate all Avanti West Coast services.
CrossCountry
* 1tph to , calling at , , , , , , , , , , and , extending to every other hour, calling at , , , , , and .
* 4tpd to calling at , , , , , , , and .
All CrossCountry services are regularly operated by British Rail Class 220, Class 220 ''Voyager'' and British Rail Class 221, Class 221 ''Super Voyager'' units.
East Midlands Railway
* 1tph to calling at , , , and
* 1tph to via , calling at , , (irregular), , , , , , , and
These services are operated by Class 158 ''Express Sprinter'' units and occasionally Class 156 "Super Sprinter" units.
Northern Trains
* 1tph to calling at , , , , ,
** 11tpd continue to calling at , , , , (irregular), , , , and
** 4tpd continue to calling at , , , and
* 2tph to calling at , , , , , , (1tph), (1tph), , , , , , , (1tph) and . On Sundays this is reduced to 1tph calling at all stations.
* 1tph to via calling at , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and .
* 5tph to , each with different calling patterns. Additional services to calling at are provided by Transport for Wales Rail, Transport for Wales.
** 2tph calling at , , , , and , of which 1 continues to (see below), 1tph on Sundays
** 1tph calling at and .
** 1tph calling at and . On Sundays this service calls at and instead of .
** 1tph calling at only. Monday to Saturday only.
* 1tph to via calling at , , , , , , , , , , and . On Sundays this train terminates at .
* 1tph to via calling at , , , , , , , , , , and .
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , and . Monday to Saturday only.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , , , , and . Some additional morning peak hour services start at Macclesfield railway station, Macclesfield. The Sunday service is 6tpd.
* 1tph to via calling at , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . The Sunday service is 1 train per 2 hours.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , , (1tp2h), , , , , , (1tp2h) and . Additional trains run at peak times. and are served by alternate trains.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , and . Monday to Saturday only.
* 2tph to calling at , , , , , , , , and . is additionally served on Sundays.
* 4tp3h to calling at , Fairfield railway station (England), Fairfield, , , , , and . Monday to Saturday only.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , , , , and . Monday to Saturday only.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , , , , , , . , and . is served at peak times and all day on Sunday.
These are operated by a variety of trains including British Rail Class 150, Class 150, British Rail Class 156, Class 156 and British Rail Class 158, Class 158 Diesel multiple unit, DMUs or British Rail Class 319, Class 319, British Rail Class 323, Class 323, or British Rail Class 331, Class 331 electric multiple-unit, EMUs.
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express operate services on three routes.
North TransPennine
* 1tph non-stop to . Calls at on Sundays.
* 1tph to calling at , , , , , , , , , , , , and .
* 1tph to , calling at , , , ,
** 1tp2h continues to , calling at , , and .
** 1tp2h continues to , calling at , , , and .
* 1tph to calling at , , , , and .
South TransPennine
* 1tph to , calling at , (limited), , , , , , , and .
* 1tph to , calling at , , , , (limited), , and . Sunday services always call at and do not call at or .
Anglo-Scottish Route
* 1tph to calling at , , , , ,
** 1tp2h continue to calling at , and
** 1tp2h continue to calling at, , and
* 1tph non-stop to .
British Rail Class 185, Class 185 ''Desiro'' units operate most TransPennine Express services, with the exception of the Scottish services which are operated by British Rail Class 397, Class 397 ''Civity'' units.
Transport for Wales
* 1tph to via the North Wales Coast Line calling at , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Two trains per day run to on weekdays only and some evening terminate at .
* 1tph to calling at and .
* 1tph to via the Welsh Marches Line calling at , , , , (irregular), (irregular), , , , , (irregular), (irregular), and , continuing alternately to or .
Most of these services are worked by British Rail Class 175, Class 175 ''Coradia'' units. British Rail Class 158, Class 158 ''Express Sprinter'' and occasionally Class 150 ''Sprinter'' units are seen operating these services when 175s are not available.
Piccadilly tram stop
The Piccadilly
Metrolink tram stop is located at ground level in the
undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area which is relatively open ...
underneath the main line station; an area of the station which was historically used for warehouse, warehousing,
it is one of nine stops serving
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
, within the system's Zone 1 (Manchester Metrolink), Zone 1. Trams enter the stop from the streets in each direction via short tunnels. There are two platforms: one for eastbound trams towards Etihad Campus tram stop, Etihad Campus and Ashton-under-Lyne tram stop, Ashton-under-Lyne, and one for north and westbound trams towards Bury Interchange, Bury, Eccles Interchange, Eccles and Altrincham Interchange, Altrincham. There are steps, lifts and escalators between the platform level and a
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
level, along with further steps, lifts and escalators that connect with the main line station's concourse. There are also multiple entrances present at ground level from the surrounding streets.
![Piccadilly tram entrance from London Road](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Piccadilly_tram_entrance_from_London_Road.jpg)
The tram station was first opened on 20 July 1992, originally being known as ''Piccadilly Undercroft''. As the stop was located directly underneath the main line station platforms, the then station operator
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
required that it be built inside a protective concrete box, in order to protect the cast iron supports for the main line platforms from the possibility of collision or fire damage.
As Piccadilly originally served as a terminus of the system, early operations saw one platform being used for arrivals from Altrincham, Bury and later Eccles, with the other platform used for departures. Empty trams ran from the arrival platform into a nearby reversing siding in a tunnel, where they would reverse and then enter the departure platform. From the onset, the stop had been designed with future extension in mind; as such, since the opening of the East Manchester Line, extension towards Ashton in 2013, the former arrivals platform has also been used for departures towards Ashton as well as terminating trams, while the former departures platform also handles arrivals from Ashton. Terminating trams use a reversing siding on the Ashton line between Piccadilly and New Islington tram stops.
During 2008, the tram station was refurbished, after which it became the first station to display the new Metrolink corporate identity.
Station signage bears the yellow and silver livery as applied to the new generation of trams since 2009.
According to TfGM, the Piccadilly tram station is one of the most frequented stops on the Metrolink network.
It has been proposed by High Speed Two Limited that the existing Piccadilly stop be moved to a four-platform underground station beneath Manchester Piccadilly High Speed station.
Provision for a second stop at ground-level to the east of the high speed station called Piccadilly Central is also proposed to provide for future expansions of the Metrolink network.
Metrolink services
As of 2019, Manchester Piccadilly stop is the terminus for Metrolink services to Bury Interchange, Bury and Altrincham tram stop, Altrincham, and a major stop on the through services between Eccles Interchange, Eccles and MediaCityUK tram stop, MediaCityUK and Ashton-under-Lyne tram stop, Ashton-under-Lyne. Services mostly run every 12 minutes on all routes.
Future proposals
In 2009, the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority advocated reopening the neighbouring derelict Mayfield station to alleviate capacity problems but the proposal was not advanced; plans focused on increasing track capacity on the cross-city route between Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations were pursued.
Northern Hub
During the early 2010s,
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
promoted its
Northern Hub
The Northern Hub was a rail upgrade programme between 2009 and 2020 in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns, by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottlenec ...
plans, estimated to cost in excess of £560million to improve the heavily congested rail network on the approach into Manchester. A pair of through platforms would be constructed at Piccadilly and the station linked to Manchester Victoria via the Ordsall Chord, cutting journey times on Trans-Pennine routes.
The construction of the Ordsall Chord made it possible for trains from the airport to travel via platforms 13 and 14 and Oxford Road to Manchester Victoria and Leeds and via the Calder Valley Line to Bradford Interchange railway station, Bradford Interchange.
Phase 2 aims to alleviate congestion at platforms 13 and 14 by constructing a parallel elevated island platform and allow the minimum time between trains to be decreased from four to three minutes, improving reliability. It will allow four more trains per hour to be timetabled to Oxford Road including a second freight to Trafford Park. Approval for the platforms, at an estimated cost of £200million, was announced during July 2012.
The proposals would simplify train operations at Piccadilly, creating close associations between pairs of lines leading out of the station and particular platforms while requiring only a few crossing moves. Platforms 1 to 4 would be primarily used for services on the 'east' lines, to and from Marple, Glossop and Huddersfield; platforms 5 to 12 would be for services on the 'fast' lines, to and from Crewe and Stoke; through platforms 13 to 16 would be dedicated to services on the present 'slow' lines, to and from Manchester Airport and Hazel Grove.
In July 2013, Network Rail consulted on three options for the additional platforms at Piccadilly, all of which would affect local roads and the Grade II listed Star and Garter public house.
Construction was originally due to begin in 2016, but the project has now been delayed indefinitely.
High Speed 2
![Hs2-manchester-piccadilly](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Hs2-manchester-piccadilly.png)
To accommodate
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
(HS2), an extension would require four platforms and a tunnel under south Manchester to join the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
at
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250.
Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from ...
. Journey times to Manchester Airport would be reduced to 9minutes from 18, Birmingham 41minutes from 86minutes, and London 68minutes from 128. Station upgrades could include enhanced Metrolink services, improved road access and car parking. The line is planned to be completed by 2032.
A major redevelopment of the station and surrounding area has been proposed to complement the HS2 proposals involving the construction of a canopy over the HS2 platforms, the creation of a new entrance, and office, retail and residential development. Designs indicate that the derelict Mayfield Station and the Gateway House office block will be demolished. The plans were approved by the Government in November 2016.
Northern Powerhouse Rail
Northern Powerhouse Rail
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), sometimes referred to unofficially as High Speed 3, is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The phrase was adopted in 2014 for a project ...
(NPR) proposals include the construction of new platforms under Piccadilly station and the proposed HS2 platforms. The 2016 'Manchester Piccadilly Options Assessment' by the National Infrastructure Commission stated: "Addition of Northern Powerhouse Rail and Station to the Manchester Piccadilly system will be the last step of the process of transforming the station in to [sic] a transport super hub. The NPR station and its construction will need to be considered throughout the design and implementation of the other station improvements, which form the station concept but which are delivered earlier. The NPR station is proposed to stay underground on its way east as it passes through Manchester city. This provides opportunities and offers location and orientation alternatives. Staying under the existing Piccadilly station or positioning NPR under the HS2 station box will maximise interchange efficiencies and travel distances. The orientation will also dictate the number of vertical connection cores also referred to as “drums” and their locations. The drums will have the function to connect all levels of transport to one and other [sic] at critical junction points."
During October 2017, according to a report to the Manchester City Council’s executive of the various proposals submitted, the development of an underground station has been selected as the preferred option for accommodating the envisioned NPR services, which are speculated to involve the running of up to eight trains per hour, as well as connecting services with the in-development HS2. The importance of directly integrating this underground facility with the existing Piccadilly Station has been emphasised as well; however, the report observes that the necessary financing for the programme is still lacking.
"Underground Northern Powerhouse Rail station proposed for Piccadilly."
''placenorthwest.co.uk'', 16 October 2017.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
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Station information
on Manchester Piccadilly station, provided by Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
Tram times and station information
for Piccadilly tram stop from Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kin ...
{{Railway stations served by CrossCountry
Railway stations in Manchester
Former Great Central Railway stations
Former London and North Western Railway stations
Former Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway stations
DfT Category A stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1842
Network Rail managed stations
Railway stations served by CrossCountry
Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway
Northern franchise railway stations
Railway stations served by TransPennine Express
Railway stations served by Transport for Wales Rail
Railway stations served by Avanti West Coast
Tram stops in Manchester
Tram stops on the Altrincham to Piccadilly line
Tram stops on the Bury to Ashton-under-Lyne line
Tram stops on the Eccles to Piccadilly line
Grade II listed buildings in Manchester
William Robert Headley railway stations
Stations on the West Coast Main Line