Manchester’s Oxford Road Station set for overhaul to deal with long …

A major Manchester city centre railway station is set for an overhaul.

Network Rail is considering changing the layout of Manchester Oxford Road station in order to alleviate queues during peak hours. It says Oxford Road is the second-busiest city centre station, which means it experiences ‘significant congestion issues’.

Those issues will only worsen if an expected eight percent rise in passenger numbers takes place before 2033, Network Rail added in a planning application. It is making the application as the station is a listed building, so needs permission from the council to make the alterations.

“Manchester Oxford Road is a bustling transport hub. Manchester City Council is currently considering our application to make improvements,” a spokesperson for Network Rail said. “Our proposed plans involve introducing more ticket gates, including an additional accessible one.

“To do this, the ticket office windows will be relocated to the front of the station. These improvements will streamline passenger flow, reduce wait times and ensure a more accessible and convenient journey for all."

Further detail of the plans can be found in the application’s design and access statement. It reveals bosses want ‘to install eight new ticket barriers in the existing location, remove the existing glazed dividing rail that provides access to the ticket office, and relocate the ticket office from its existing location to the front of the lozenge facing the station approach’.

It continues: “The additional 2no. new ticket gates will allow for increased passenger handling capacity at the gate line, and relocating the ticket desk away from the main entrance allows for this. These works also require the existing [customer information system] CIS display screens to be removed and relocated.”

Lighting layout alterations are also planned. You can see the plans in full, and have your say, online.^[3]

References

1. ^{^} Get the latest on Manchester city centre here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^{^} A small piece of Mancunian history could return to its Northern Quarter home (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^{^} You can see the plans in full, and have your say, online. (pa.manchester.gov.uk)