Manchester Victoria - Update

Upon arriving into Manchester Victoria by tram it was difficult to believe that I had only recently visited the station in January this year (2015), the station concourse has been transformed and is now unrecognisable. The most noticeable change for Metro passengers is that you can now alight inside the station, which had not been possible for months prior whilst new Metro platforms were built.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference though is how light the station now is, the concourse is now almost entirely covered by the new arched roof. The roof was constructed using massive steel ribs, in-between which transparent plastic panels were been placed.

The new roof uses the same plastic roofing system which was used to cover the Eden Project in Cornwall. The ETFE* (plastic) panels used are lighter and cheaper than glass, they also have self cleaning properties.

* Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene

Another noticeable change to the concourse area is the installation of ticket gates, which it is said will help to avoid congestion and help to reduce the number of passengers travelling without a ticket. From what I saw it appeared that some passengers were still getting accustomed to the new gates, with some confusion from a small number people, 

As part of the improvement programme existing structures are also being sympathetically renovated. Now that there is so much more light it is now possible to appreciate some of the original features of what remains of the existing station. This does however bring with it it's own challenges, as new modern structures must seamlessly be tied together with existing the structure. Only time will tell how well this can been achieved. 

The station is far from finished and teams of workers are visibly carrying out tasks all over the station, from renovation works to installing new features. Work is also progressing on the Metro tracks leading to the city centre. A new cross over and switches have been installed to allow Trams to use the new Second City Crossing once complete. 

There is still some way to go before the station is complete, however it is now clear for passengers to see the benefits of the past 18 months of disruption.


Metrolink Tram passes over the new junction heading toward Rochdale.



New ticket gates 


New Metrolink platforms



The coming together of old and new 



Still a lot of work to be done on Corporation Street for 2CC


The view from the junction of Corporation St and Miller St


Workman working on the roof, not a job for the faint-hearted.



The images below were taking in July 2013. It is clear to see how much the station has changed.




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