Train travel to Manchester airport boosted

[December 12th 2008]

A new platform at Manchester airport station has opened early and is expected to improve rail travel to the airport.

As the new railway timetable starts on December 14th there will be about 40% more trains using the west coast main line, including services to and from Manchester Piccadilly. The new £15 million third platform at Manchester airport station is expected to relieve congestion on the approaches to Manchester Piccadilly.

"The approaches to Piccadilly station are extremely congested with trains coming and going to virtually every part of Great Britain. Having the extra platform gives us much more flexibility and improves the overall performance of trains in the area," explains Network Rail route director, Peter Strachan.

The platform has opened nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Work on the project began just over a year ago and a test train ran on the new line at the end of October. The final stages have seen the re-numbering of the existing platforms and updated wording on the station information screens.

According to Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, "This development will have a significant impact on the reliability of services calling at Manchester airport and, in turn, services passing through Manchester Piccadilly and beyond".

“As a major international gateway to the North, improving access to Manchester airport is vital. This scheme will increase platform capacity at the airport's rail station and improve reliability and punctuality of rail services to and from the airport across the North,” Broomhead continues.

The opening of the new platform is likely to see the number of people travelling by train to Manchester airport increase still further.

"Manchester Airport is committed to encouraging more people to travel to and from the airport by public transport. The opening of the third rail platform not only contributes to this but also ensures ultra reliable rail travel. We look forward to welcoming Metrolink in the near future and perhaps the West Coast mainline connecting directly into the airport too," says Manchester Airports Group chief executive, Geoff Muirhead, CBE.

Written by: Nick Purdom

Travel by train to the plane - book your rail travel with savings of up to 20% with Holiday Extras