Manchester's Oxford Road will remain closed while major works are underway
Oxford Road station would be shut for just over two years under the plans to reduce rail congestion through Manchester city centre with fewer but longer platforms. The proposals published by Network Rail today , which include new lifts and a footbridge, would allow longer trains with an extra 120 seats to call at the station.
However, a Network Rail review of the project concluded in 2019 that 'no other option comes close' to increasing capacity on the congested Castlefield corridor to 16 trains per hour than the previous plans. The report, which was never published but has been obtained following a Freedom of Information request, identifies the Castlefield corridor as the 'ruling Manchester network constraint' and explains that doing nothing would likely worsen services.
The plans for platforms 15 and 16 at Piccadilly, which were supposed to end rail chaos across the North, went through a public inquiry and had been awaiting final sign off since 2015. Around £23m of taxpayers' money was spent on developing and consulting on the plans before they were pulled in May 2023, according to figures obtained through an FOI request.
The two, longer through-platforms will be able to take eight car trains, while a new turn-back platform will accommodate six car trains; an increase in capacity of two cars per platform. The proposed track layout and signalling improvements promises to reduce congestion by removing conflicting train movements.
Manchester council leader Bev Craig said: “We have said for a long time that Oxford Road Station is in need of a range of improvements from easing the congestion, increasing capacity, improving reliability and ensuring that the station is accessible for all commuters. This consultation will be a positive step in achieving those goals and ensuring that the needs of the tens of thousands of people who travel through Oxford Road on a daily basis are being met.
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