Network Rail warns North West rail passengers ahead of Manchester Piccadilly upgrades

Network Rail is warning of rail disruption in the North West ahead of a £7.9 million project to improve track and signalling near Manchester Piccadilly station.

The region’s busiest railway station will close to most trains for nine days over February half term 2026 (Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd) while improvement works take place on tracks, points and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station which date back to the 1980s.

Teams will replace 11 sets of points, renew 9,000 metres of cabling, upgrade timber sleepers with modern concrete equivalents and bring lineside equipment bang up to date across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight. Once the work is completed it will provide a huge boost to reliability for passengers across Greater Manchester and the wider region.

Services normally running to and from Manchester Piccadilly from the South and East will terminate at other stations, including Stockport. Direct rail connections to Manchester Airport will also be impacted by the work.

The station’s concourse will remain open, and a limited westbound timetable from platforms 13 and 14 will also run. Staff will be on hand to coordinate bus and Metrolink Bee Network journeys.

Julien Dehornoy, Network Rail’s North West & Central deputy regional managing director, said: 

“We’re investing £7.9m in renewing the Piccadilly corridor, a stretch of track critical to the journeys of around 400,000?trains into Manchester every year.

“This work is going to significantly reduce disruption for the many passengers who regularly use this route. Once the job is done, we will have a better, more reliable railway.

“The major overhaul over six railway lines can only take place during a full railway closure and we are working closely with train operators, TfGM and Manchester City Council on alternative travel plans to keep people on the move, the full details on which will be published in mid-November.”

Network Rail – along with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council – have developed detailed alternative travel plans to keep people on the move over the nine-day closure that will be released nearer the time.

Simon Elliott, Network Director Rail at TfGM, said:

“This investment in Manchester Piccadilly’s rail infrastructure is a crucial step forward in delivering a reliable and resilient railway for passengers, freight and supporting the city-region’s continued economic growth.

“While unfortunately there will be some short-term disruption due to the nature of the works, through the Bee Network we’re committed to working with rail industry colleagues to ensure people can still move easily across Greater Manchester while these essential upgrades take place.”