Passengers are being thanked for their patience and cooperation following the first month of weekend closures of Salford Crescent station in March.
Network Rail is investing £21m to build an additional, third platform at Salford Crescent station.
The new, extra platform will improve passenger flow and reduce train delays by allowing more flexibility for trains travelling through central Manchester and across the country.
Salford Crescent station is on the busy Manchester to Preston and Wigan lines, with services calling from across the North West and Scotland into Manchester and Manchester Airport. In 2023/2024 the station handled almost 1.2 million entries and exits.
Over March, the station was closed each weekend to allow engineers to carry out important work.
So far, the team have:
- Relocated a high-voltage cable and station signal to make space for the new platform.
- Built the foundations and new front wall of the platform, which will become the new platform edge.
- Worked with specialists to remove Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant species commonly found on the railway, from site.
Kaseya Chisala, Network Rail’s project sponsor, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience during the weekend closures of Salford Crescent station in March.
“The new third platform at Salford Crescent station will mean signallers can better organise how trains move through the area. Because of this work, passengers will have smoother, more reliable journeys both through Salford and across the North West.
“Closing the railway in Salford over some weekends this year is an essential part of how we can safely and efficiently deliver this upgrade. There are more closures planned over the coming months so I would urge passengers to check the National Rail Enquiries website to plan ahead for journeys through Salford.”
In the coming months, engineers will make changes to some of the station building to make room for the platform ends and install the foundations for the new overhead line equipment and platform canopy supports.
To carry out the next stage of the work, passengers are being reminded of more weekend closures in April, May and September*.
When the line is closed, rail replacement buses will run between Manchester to Bolton and Wigan stations. Some train services between Manchester, Wigan, Preston and beyond will be diverted via an alternative route. Passengers for Salford Crescent will be able to use their rail tickets on Bee Network buses across the city to link to the station.
Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “The new platform at Salford Crescent will allow us to run a more reliable service for customers so we’re delighted to see Network Rail is making significant progress with the construction.
“We will be running rail replacement services between Bolton and Manchester when the line is closed during weekends in April, May and September, so we’re reminding customers to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.”
While the work at Salford Crescent is carried out, Salford Central station is closed to passengers until 21 April as Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Network Rail and Northern deliver a £10 million investment to modernise the busy Salford station, improving the passenger experience and accessibility.
Work at the station continues until October. TfGM will deliver a new customer ticket office, accessible toilets, improvements to the platform ramps and station building.
Simon Elliot, network director rail at TfGM, said: “Improving our rail stations and the experience for passengers is an absolute priority, and we’re committed to making train travel easier for everyone as we deliver a joined-up public transport system for Greater Manchester.
“With major investment being delivered at both Salford Crescent and Salford Central stations, passengers across the city-region will soon see the benefits with a more reliable railway, modernised stations and a connected network.”
Image credit: Network Rail
