Manchester Piccadilly(MAN)
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About Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station serving the city of Manchester, situated to the south-east of the city centre. The station first opened in 1842 under the name Store Street, was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847, and finally adopted the name Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. It provides long-distance intercity and cross-country connections to destinations such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton and Bournemouth. It also offers regional links to major cities across Northern England, including Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and York, as well as commuter services throughout Greater Manchester. The station contains 14 platforms, with 12 used for terminating services and two through platforms, numbered 13 and 14. Piccadilly is also an important interchange with Manchester’s Metrolink system, which operates from tram platforms located beneath the main station.
As the busiest station in the Manchester station group, which also includes Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria, Piccadilly plays a central role in the region’s transport network. It is the second-busiest station in the United Kingdom outside London, after Birmingham New Street, and handles over two million passengers each year transferring between trains. Services at the station are operated by multiple train companies, making it a vital hub for both regional and national travel.
A major refurbishment of Piccadilly took place between the late 1990s and early 2000s, completed in 2002 at a cost of £100 million. At the time, this was the most expensive station improvement project in the UK. Proposals for further upgrades have been made, including plans for two additional through platforms to increase capacity as part of the Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme. However, in 2019 Network Rail declared the Castlefield corridor, which runs through central Manchester, officially congested. By 2023, the specific plans for extra platforms had been withdrawn, with a new strategy focusing on upgrading other stations in the city to ease pressure on the network.
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History
The origins of Manchester Piccadilly date back to May 1842, when a permanent terminus called Store Street station opened atop a viaduct, replacing a temporary facility at Travis Street. Designed by George W. Buck with Charles Hutton Gregory as assistant engineer, it initially featured two platforms and basic passenger amenities. Shortly after its opening, the station began to serve both the Manchester and Birmingham Railway and the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway. In 1847, it was renamed Manchester London Road. A separate through platform emerged in 1849 to serve the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway, marking the beginnings of what would become platforms 13 and 14.
By the 1860s, traffic had surged and the station was rebuilt and expanded. A grand iron-and-glass train shed was constructed in 1866, with two wide arched spans covering separate areas for the London & North Western Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. A tragic accident occurred during construction when part of the roof collapsed under snow and wind, resulting in fatalities and injuries. The station continued to expand through the 1880s, including widening platforms and enhancing rail access.
As the station’s use grew, a nearby facility, Mayfield station, was opened in 1910 to ease congestion. Despite its closure to passengers in 1960 and total closure in 1986, Mayfield remains a physical presence adjacent to Piccadilly and has been the subject of various redevelopment discussions.
Transformation continued through the 20th century. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the station was reconstructed as part of British Rail’s modernisation plans. The original entrance and Victorian structures were largely demolished and replaced with a modern concourse, office tower, and reconfigured platforms. It was during this period, on 12 September 1960, that the station was officially rebranded as Manchester Piccadilly. Platforms 13 and 14 were reconstructed on a new concrete bridge structure.
Further enhancements followed. Between 1988 and 1989, platforms 13 and 14 were lengthened concurrently with the opening of the Windsor Link, allowing services from northern regions directly into Piccadilly. In 1992, the station’s undercroft—the vaulted goods area—was converted into a terminus for the Metrolink tram system.
The station underwent one of its most significant modernisations in the run-up to the 2002 Commonwealth Games. From 1998 to 2002, approximately £100 million was invested in upgrading the station. The trainshed's Grade II-listed roof was reglazed and repainted, a new main concourse with mezzanine level was introduced, and a moving walkway was installed to ease access to the far platforms. A new entrance on Fairfield Street enhanced passenger flow and created a taxi and drop-off zone.
More recently, with regional rail infrastructure under increasing strain, there have been discussions of more ambitious projects. One revived concept involves constructing a subway network beneath Manchester's core, starting with a new subterranean station at Piccadilly to support future transport demands.
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