£72 million investment boost for Greater Manchester rail services

The Department of Transport (DfT) has announced a £72 million investment in rail infrastructure in Greater Manchester to help improve the reliability of trains in the city-region.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman announced yesterday (25th May) a number of improvements to Manchester Victoria and Salford Crescent stations as part of ongoing efforts to reduce bottlenecks on services passing through Manchester City Centre and reduce delays. Previous investment. timetable changes and other recommendations of the Manchester Task Force have already seen delays on trains running through central Manchester fall by 40% since 2019/20.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

“This investment supports our commitment to transforming journeys across the north by achieving much needed infrastructure improvements in Manchester.

“Today’s funding, alongside major projects like HS2, the TransPennine route upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, demonstrates our pledge to improving opportunities for passengers across the region and leaving a positive impact for generations to come.”

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said:

“This new investment will help make train services more reliable for the people of Manchester and beyond, marking another milestone in a decade’s worth of rail improvements across the region.

“An efficient railway is key to levelling up and the improvements achieved through this package will help boost local economies and connect people to opportunities, as well as friends and family.”

Darren Oldham, Transport for the North’s Rail and Roads Director, said of the announcement:

“This is excellent news which will enable work to ease railway congestion in Manchester to continue.

“The work that Transport for the North and its partners have already carried out through the Manchester Task Force has delivered a 40% reduction in service delays since December.

“This latest funding will deliver even more capacity works over the next two years to further ease congestion. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department, Network Rail and our partners on the development of further solutions for Manchester as we grow the network and improve services.

“It all adds up to a better deal for the passenger – Manchester is a key bottleneck on the network, and improvements here will deliver widespread benefits across the North.”

Alongside the announcement, Network Rail has also withdrawn a planning application for work to improve the link between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road stations (the main bottleneck for services passing through the city centre), and instead announced their intention to consult on a new approach later this year.

The recent enhanced devolution deal for the city-region will also see the city-region take greater control over local rail services in Greater Manchester, with further detail of routes involved and how they will integrate into the wider Bee Network of London-style public transport to be announced later this summer.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“There is a massive opportunity to change rail journeys for people and businesses in Greater Manchester and the North for the better, and this infrastructure investment is a welcome next step to help make that happen.

“Through the task force and our trailblazer deal, we will continue working with government and the industry to help shape the comprehensive package of improvements needed to transform rail travel and support our growing economy, so that we can create more jobs and homes.”