155mph Class 390s on HS2?

You may have to forgive the grammar, this article was based on a script for a Youtube video

Should we operate 155mph (250km/h) capable Class 390 Pendolinos on HS2? The short answer, in my opinion, is no. However, it is a complicated issue that deserves further investigation.

The renowned and well-respected railway veteran Chris Gibb has proposed that Class 390s should be fitted with new traction systems and bogies so they can operate in regular service at 155mph in non-tilt mode on HS2. 

The primary benefit is capacity from Glasgow and Manchester to London.  But it is also claimed that the Glasgow to London journey time will be 17 minutes slower via HS2 than the existing service.

Firstly I have to agree with the point about capacity, In fact, I was one of the first people to demonstrate that HS2 in its current form could lead to a reduction in seating capacity from Manchester and Glasgow into London. However, it is important to stipulate seating capacity.

Why is this the case? Because the new HS2 trains on order will be 200m long and were intended to work in multiple to Birmingham Curzon St and the new HS2 platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, so would be 400m long during peak hours, providing up to 1100 seats.  But with no new HS2 platforms at Manchester there will be no room at Piccadilly for 400m long trains

Artist impress of the rolling stock intended for HS2. Source HS2 Ltd

Even if HS2 were built in full to Golborne, Glasgow would still have been served by 200m HS2 sets but would have benefited from an increased frequency, leading to an overall capacity gain. But unfortunately curtailing HS2 means no more trains can operate between Glasgow and Euston that already do currently.

The main issue is that a 265m long, 11 car Pendolinos have 589 seats, whereas the proposed HS2 units will have up to 550 seats per 200m long sets. So there could be an overall reduction in seating capacity on some routes

HS2 units vs Class 390 comparison

However, once HS2 opens to Handsacre there may still be potential to operate a so-called “classic” between Manchester and London, calling at Milton Keynes. So Manchester could see up to 4 trains per hour to London, comprised of 3 HS2 and 1 classic. This means there could still be an overall capacity gain and more choice for passengers.

Glasgow is a bit more challenging, as capacity is limited between Crewe, Warrington and Wigan and on the northern section of WCML. So without HS2 to Golborne, no more trains can operate than currently do, so technically there could be a reduction in seating capacity from Glasgow. At least for the direct Glasgow to London via HS2 service, which would replace the existing direct service.

Liverpool to London will still see an overall increase with the service increased to 2tph with HS2 to Handsacre. Even taking into account the proposed additional Avanti service from Liverpool to London. However, Gibb suggests that one service per hour should continue to use the WCML via Milton Keynes, but use the new HS2 trains. This idea possibly may have some merit, at least until HS2 is completed to Euston.

The report also recommends the existing two Cross Country services per hour from Manchester should replaced by 200m long HS2 service from Manchester to Birmingham. This would provide a capacity uplift between Manchester and Birmingham and the Chris claims would reduce the journey from 90 to 50 minutes

Although the current services stop at Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke, Stafford and Wolverhampton and takes 57 minutes just to get to Stafford. So is there a suggestion that some stops would be missed out between Manchester and Birmingham? 

This proposal also removes the direct connectivity from Manchester with the South and South West, with XC services continuing to Bristol and Bournemouth. Although it should be pointed out that some journeys such as those to Reading could switch to HS2 and GWR, with passengers changing trains at Old Oak Common.

Manchester to Birmingham connectivity is an issue I have continually tried to raise, and I feel it has been repeatedly ignored within the HS2 debate, despite time savings between the UK's two largest regional cities that would have been transformational. But HS2 would have retained the existing service and supplemented it with new services between the UK's two largest regional cities. So, as it stands I do not think we should be replacing the existing services with HS2 services. Not least because the time-saving claiming would not be achievable without removing stops between Manchester and Birmingham.

Manchester to Birmingham

Current: 90 minutes 

HS2 to Manchester: 49 minutes

The other significant proposal is to de-scope Euston to just 2, 400m HS2 platforms, to be used for the Birmingham services. Beyond that I'm not sure what Gibb is suggesting, he makes reference to Caledonian Sleeper platforms, but with no connection from HS2 to the existing station possible, they seem irrelative.

I'm working on the basis that he means to continue to build some new platforms at Euston, but only build 2, 400m long platforms. With new shorter platforms which would be served by Class 390s and 200m long HS2 units. But I can't imagine that building shorter platforms would save a significant amount of money, so I'm not sure what the benefit would be.

It is worth pointing out that the current design for Euston Tunnel and the approach would not allow for a connection from HS2 to the existing platforms simply because of the lack of space available. In fact, the HS2 platforms will be lower than the existing ones due to the lack of space, to get from the tunnel portal to the station throat.

Layout of Euston approach, source HS2 Ltd

Why do I oppose this plan? I think Richard Bowker put it best, during the interview that Chris Gibb did with Green Signals. Richard said “The critics will say you're letting the politicians off the hook” [Green Signals episode 35].  This was said when Sunak was in power and Richard appeared to be playing devil's advocate. But I do still agree with the sentiment.

In essence, it begs the question, why should any Government continue to develop HS2 if we can just operate some Pendolinos along the route and call it a day? I know Gibb does make further suggestions about Northern Powerhouse Rail and Handsacre to Crewe. But it could be all too tempting just to use slower trains on HS2 and perhaps carry out some upgrades on the WCML.

Gibb's proposal also means that Birmingham's services will have to run slower and could operate a maximum of 186mph, instead of between 200mph (320km/h) and 225mph (360km/h). It wouldn't be practical or possible to operate trains with a speed differential ranging from 45mph to 70mph and maintain the headway. Although I appreciate HS2 is primarily about capacity, but it doesn't seem right to cut the benefits for Birmingham, just so we can operate Class 390 on HS2.  

Gibb also said during the Green Signals interview that he is “challenging” the industry to see if it's possible to re-engineer Class 390s. This seems to be a change from the tone of the report, which makes it seem as if it is already possible.

Perhaps instead we should be challenging the industry to find a cost-effective and practical way to modify the HS2 rolling stock order and instead order 250m or 260m long HS2 sets, which would have more capacity than Class 390s despite being a similar length. I'm not saying all units, but perhaps 8, 10 to 12, to operate peak Manchester and Glasgow services would be sufficient?

I understand there may also be an issue with the Washwood Heath Depot and the maintenance hall may not be long enough to accommodate longer sets. But perhaps the units could be maintained in existing WCML depots with the installation of new equipment?

Washwood Heath plan. Source HS2 Ltd

Surely modifying the HS2 rolling stock order and creating provision for maintenance would be no more expensive or technically challenging than fitting new traction equipment to 20-year-old trains? Which will be close to 30 years old by the time HS2 opens to Handsacre.

I also have to question the “up to 17 minutes longer” claim between Glasgow and London, to which I wasn't able to get a satisfactory answer to what this means. As far as I can tell, it most certainly will not mean services from Glasgow to London via HS2 would be 17 minutes slower than today. As even the most pessimistic time penalty for non-tilting trains between Glasgow and Handsacre would be more than made up for with the time saving between Handsacre and London.

And plans to lift the non-tilt speed on the WCML are already well in advance and a special speed limit can be applied on straight sections of the WCML to allow no-tilting multiple units to travel at 125mph, rather than 110mph, further reducing the time penalty.

Raising the MU speed to 125mph on straight sections of the northern WCML would benefit Transpennine Express services served by Class 397s. In addition, raising the non-tilt MU speed is already planned for Avanti services operated by Class 805s (which do not tilt) between Crewe and London.

Avanti's new Class 805 units do not tilt. But the journey time between Chester and Euston will not be significantly longer once the MU speed is raised. 

Also, as far as I can tell, there may still be scope for a Lancaster to Euston service within the current HS2 plan, This service would have stopped at Preston, Wigan and Warrington, then joined with a Liverpool HS2 service at Crewe. This means it will only occupy a single path between Crewe and Handsacre.  

This could mean that the Glasgow service could make fewer stops on the WCML, further reducing the overall journey time. This service would have been introduced only after HS2 was completed to Crewe but before the completion of HS2 to Golborne. So would have operated over the constrained section between Crewe and Wigan.

HS2 and Classic services, potential

I imagine capacity for this service would be released by running the Glasgow service non-stop south of Preston. But I'm not sure if there would be scope to run the Lancaster service to and from Glasgow instead.

What I'm trying to say is, that there are other options and this proposal could be seen as defeatest. But I think ultimately there may be little point in running the proposed full HS2 timetable until HS2 is open to Euston. So this gives the Government time to reconsider its decision and come up with a better plan than operating 25 to 35-year-old trains at 155mph on HS2.

Until HS2 opens to Euston, it may be better to operate limited service from Manchester to Old Oak Common, perhaps, 2 HS2 trains per hour to Old Oak, with 2 classic services to Euston. Similarly, Liverpool to London could be 1 HS2 and 1 Classic service per hour

Admittedly this leaves a question about Glasgow, to which I don't have a satisfactory answer. Perhaps an alternating HS2 and Classic service, with 260m long HS2 trains. This would provide Glasgow with a connection to Old Oak Common, whilst maintaining capacity into Euston.

HS2 + Classic service, potential prior to opening of HS2 to Euston

Terminating at Old Oak Common is far from ideal and HS2 must be built to Euston. But there will be benefits of changing trains at Old Oak, with connections via the Elizabeth Line to central London and Heathrow and the Reading and the South West via GWR services. So there would be a benefit of providing services from the North to Old Oak Common

I know I'm just a solitary railway commentator and Chris has decades of experience has the support of many within the rail industry and should be said has my full respect. But myself and others, including industry experts I have spoken to privately disagree with this proposal, as pragmatic as it may seem on the surface.

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IRP, Rail Revolution or Rail Betrayal? Northern Powerhouse Rail

On the 18th of November 2021 the Government published its long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) that sets out how the Government will attempt to improve rail links across the North and Midlands. In this blog I hope to set out the main points from and unpick some of the claims made within the report.

This part, in a two part blog looks into the detail of the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposal. Part one looks at the HS2 East announcement and the possible implications of cancelling the eastern leg of HS2

Northern Powerhouse Rail (HS3)

Northern Powerhouse Rail is where things start to get a little more complicated, as far as I can tell the Government has rejected all 3 proposals put forward by Transport for the North, which were:

"Option 1 was a mixture of new-build high-speed line, covering roughly half the route from Liverpool to Leeds, and upgrades to the existing lines into Leeds (via Huddersfield) and Liverpool (via Warrington Bank Quay) for the rest of the route.

Option 2 was for an entirely new-build high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester, including a new station on the outskirts of Bradford; a new line from Warrington to Liverpool (with a parkway station at Warrington); and an underground Piccadilly station with a connection allowing it to be used for Sheffield services. •

Option 3 was the same as Option 2, but with a new central station underground at Warrington (still offering less convenient interchange to Bank Quay); and an underground station in the vicinity of the existing Bradford Interchange station."

Instead, the Government suggests a patchwork of upgrades, electrification and new sections of track from Liverpool to York.

Liverpool

Starting in Liverpool, it is suggested that there will be further works carried out to enhance Liverpool Lime Street station, presumably on top of the £500m that was spent in 2018 to improve the station's platform layout. However, it is difficult to see what the enhancement will achieve. Even after the £500m re-build the station will have no room for additional services beyond 2035.

HS2 phase 2a will introduce 2 additional trains per hour to London and Transport for Wales intend to introduce a new hourly service between Liverpool and Llandudno and an hourly service to Shrewsbury from Liverpool (with a service every 2 hours extended to Cardiff), that's on top of the hourly Chester to Liverpool via Runcorn service that was introduced in 2019. Beyond that, there is no scope to get any more trains into Liverpool Lime Street owing to the restrictions imposed by the 4 track approach into the station. Anyone who has taken the train to Liverpool Lime St will be aware of the deep cutting that the approach sits in, there is nothing in the IRP that suggests the Government will invest in new tracks into the station, which would be incredibly costly.

Liverpool to Manchester

Travelling out from Liverpool Lime St, HS2/NPR trains will use existing lines to Warrington Bank Quay, where new platforms would be constructed. The only way this could be achieved would be by using the Skelton Junction to Ditton Junction line which is currently used for freight. The line was primarily used by freight trains bringing coal to Fiddler's Ferry power station, but those flows ceased in 2020 when the power station closed. This line would have to be electrified and new low-level platforms constructed below the existing Warrington Bank Quay station. 

As you can see from the approximate map below, the line is curvaceous to say the least, meaning the approach into Warrington Bank Qual LL will be slow. The existing track alignment under Bank Quay is also curvaceous and would have to be re-aligned to allow for platforms to be built. 

Approximate possible route through Warrington using an existing line

 

Using this approach would mean that HS2 services bound for London that would otherwise have connected to HS2 at Crewe via Runcorn, would be diverted away from and therefore no longer serve from Runcorn. 

From Warrington Bank Quay there would be a new section of track connecting to HS2 phase 2b into Manchester. It had already been proposed that passive provision for new NPR/HS2 junctions be added to the bill for HS2 phase 2b. The junctions would be located West of Manchester Airport and would allow HS2 trains from Liverpool to head south to Crewe and then on to London, and NPR trains to head to Manchester using the tunnel that will be constructed as part of HS2 from Manchester Aiport to a new station to be constructed adjacent to Manchester Piccadilly. As The new HS2 station at Piccadilly will be a terminus this will mean NPR trains from Liverpool that would be travelling east would have to reverse, which is far from idea, as this will impact overall capacity and has the potential to impact service reliabilty.

Manchester to Leeds 

Heading east from Manchester the Government has suggested building a section of new railway from Piccadilly/HS2 to just east of Standedge tunnel, located approximately 10 miles from Huddersfield. From there NRP trains would continue over the existing line to Huddersfield and then on to Leeds. The Government suggests building 40 miles of new railway in total, from Warrington to Standedge tunnel, which would include the section of HS2 from just west of Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly.

Northern Powerhouse Rail as set out in the IRP

Instead of building a new dedicated line that would have served a new through station at Bradford, the Government's watered-down plan is to invest in "significant improvements to the previous Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) plans", parts of which are already either underway or in the planning phase. Network Rail has already submitted plans to double the number of tracks and electrify the line from Huddersfield to Dewsbury. 

The Government says it now plans to electrify the whole route, instal digital signalling throughout, provide significantly longer sections of three and four-tracking, and gauge upgrades to allow intermodal container freight services. 

Full electrification of the Transpennine route from Manchester to Leeds via Huddersfield was another promise the Government made in 2012 and was another promise the Government broke when it "paused" plans for electrification. The "pause" turned into cancellation of full electrification, with the Government instead instructing Network Rail to draw up plans for discontinuous electrification with scaled back upgrades of the Pennine route. 

The Government also says it will also electrify the route from Leeds to York with some new sections of four-tracking and it will upgrade and electrify the Leeds to Bradford section of the Calder Valley Line.

The IRP briefly mentions Hull, but any proposals fall under the banner of "Future possibilities". The IRP states "The Government has identified a core pipeline of schemes and any further schemes (such as Hull upgrades) will be subject to affordability, delivering commitments on time and to budget, and complementary investments being made. Given the scale of the IRP core portfolio, the Government considers that this – alongside the development work at Leeds and on the Midlands Rail Hub – needs to be the immediate focus for the supply chain and delivery bodies.". 

The IRP is littered with and phrases such as "core pipeline", "subject to affordability", "focussing on delivering", "undertake a study" and "optimal solution" which make it sound like the Government is doing something, whilst in reality it commits the Government to nothing. There's nothing in the IRP to suggest that it forms the basis of a single unified plan which will be looked at as a whole, it's more like an ad-hoc wish list of projects the Government would like to possibly see complete. An ad-hoc approach risks abstraction, whereby the business case for the whole cannot be considered, instead, each proposal must be judged by its own merits, which risks deliverability.  

Put simply the Government has worded the IRP in such a way that it doesn't have to commit to anything and certainly doesn't make any promises which can be broken later.

As far as "Northern Powerhouse Rail" goes, that's it, 40 miles of new track (including HS2 into Manchester) and a patchwork of upgrades which may or may not go ahead, subject to there being a positive business case.

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Manchester Airport Expansion

A £1bn project officially known as the 'Manchester Airport Transformation Programme' (MAN-TP for short) began in July 2017 and since then significant progress has been made. The project will increase passenger capacity by doubling the size of the existing Terminal 2 and vastly improve airport facilities. 3 new piers will be constructed in total with prevision for an additional 4th if required in the future. Airside capacity will also be improved with major changes to the apron and taxiways.

In under 12 months a large area for new structures has been cleared and large sections of the terminal extension and new carpark have been constructed. 6 tower cranes (pictured below) have dominated the Manchester Airport skyline since early 2018. The tightly clustered cranes have been used to lift sections of steel and concrete into place to construct a new carpark which looks to be almost 80% complete.

Significant changes have been made to the passenger drop off and pick-up facilities at terminal 2 in order for work to commence. This includes moving the drop off zone to the ground level and closing off part of the ground level pick-up car park in order to provide parking for staff members. In April 2018 photos were released showing the view from one of the new piers looking through huge glass windows which look out over the airfield.

The terminal is set for completion in 2020 and it is hoped that major "noticeable" changes will take place in 2019. Once the extension is complete, terminal 2 will become the principal terminal with terminal 1 being phased out around 2022 and then later demolished. The entire project including construction of new roads, access ramps and demolition of T1 should be complete by 2023.


The principal contractor for the project Laing O’Rourke is delivering a £570m package of works, including the design and construction of the new T2 extension and the construction of the new 3,800 space multi-story car park. Laing O’Rourke will also undertake significant upgrades to the airport’s landscape and road infrastructure and will construct the initial two new piers for arrivals and departures.

Galliford Try was awarded to contracts totaling £92m, the first £38m phase is to extend the airfield’s west apron which includes construction of new taxiways and aircraft stands. The second £54m phase will increase aircraft stand capacity and aircraft parking. A new ‘Dual E’ taxiway will allow two aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and a Boeing 747 safely to pass each other.

Galliford Try will install more than 79,000m3 of concrete for new taxiways and aircraft stands, they will also reallocating the existing airfield and upgrade a mile-long section of taxiway so that aircraft can be maneuvered more efficiently.


Facts and figures

• £1bn - Total investment

• 900,000 sq ft of additional space to be added to Terminal 2

• 19th busiest airport in Europe 

• 50 food, beverage and retail outlets to be introduced

• 3 new piers to be constructed with space and services available to construct a 4th if needed

• 2023 - Project expected completion date

• 1962 - The date the original terminal 1 building was constructed

• 28m - The number of passengers currently using the airport annually

For more information click here

I hope to be able to provide updates as the project progresses

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Manchester Second City Crossing 2CC

Manchester's latest Metro line is due to open on Sunday (26th Feb), the line known as Second City Crossing or 2CC will ease congestion through the city centre and allow more services to be routed though Manchester Victoria.

Work began on the new line in 2014 and coincided with the rebuilding of Victoria Station, the re-modeling of Metrolink platforms and the tracks leading into the station. A new junction was constructed at the southern entrance to Victoria with the new line leading down Corporation St.

The new line begins at Lower Mosley Street, runs through St Peter’s Square, before turning left down Princess Street and then heading along Cross Street and Corporation Street before re-joining the existing line just outside Victoria.

Tram stands at the new St Peter's Square platform

To accommodate the new line St Peter's Square has been completely remodeled, a third line has been added on Lower Mosley Street and a 3rd platform built at St Peter's Square. The square itself has been repaved and during my visit was still in the process of being refreshed.

New platforms at St Peter's Square

New junction and track heading toward Lower Mosley Street 

Services actually began operating along part of the route back in Dec 2015 when the link between Victoria and the new Exchange Square stop opened to the public. Since then trams have been turning back under the  the Arndale footbridge. 

From Sunday 26th of Feb trams will continue under the footbridge and head straight towards St Peter's Square, bypassing the congested city centre and providing new service opportunities. 

End of the line until Sunday 26th of Feb

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Ordsall Chord - key milestone

It has been almost a year since I first wrote about the Ordsall Chord project which once complete will connect Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time.

Tuesday (21st Feb) was a particularly important day as the steel arch which will carry part of the chord over the River Irwell was lifted into place. There were plenty of press and media in the area to report on this key milestone.

The lift of the 600 tonne arch began at around 5am (21st Feb), it was expected that the lift would commence later however the weather reports coming in showed high winds for later on in the day.

The lift viewed from Irwell Street

The lift required 2 Liebherr crawler cranes, the smaller of which is rated at 750 tonnes, the other which is also the biggest movable crane in the country is rated at 1350 tonnes.

By 10am the arch had been lifted into position over the bridge deck however had not been fully lowered into its final position. At one end of the arch (pictured below) engineers were ready to connect the arch to pre-positioned end sections. If you enlarge the picture you can see the gap still remaining through the scaffolding.

The other end of the arch was ready to be lowered and secured onto spherical bearings which will allow for expansion and contraction.

I had hoped to see the final connections being made, however I was informed that lowering the final few inches could take a number of hours as measurements were checked (and re-checked) and engineers prepared to secure the arch.

As the forecast inclement weather rolled in I left with still about 6 inches left to go before the arch would be in its final position. If the engineer I spoke to was correct it may not be fully in place until 10pm. As was the arch finally touched down at around 6pm (21st Feb)

The arch will be secured with temporary bolts to hold it into position, the horizontal tension cables supporting the arch shape will then be released.  

The horizontal tension cables connected to stand jacks were used to hold the arch in shape until it is finally in place and connected. If the cables had not been attached the arch would have flattened out and would not have fit into the gap.

Temporary bolts will support the arch in place for around a month whilst each end of the arch is welded to make the final physical connection. It will also take around a month to attach the hangers which will connect the arch to the bridge deck. Currently the bridge is supported underneath by temporary supports until the arch and bridge are joined.

Network Rail say that the chord will be open in time for services to begin operating in Dec 2017, so hopefully my next report will from one of the first services to cross the chord in late 17.

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Ordsall Chord

Work to construct a new chord that will eventually connect Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly began in October 2015 after several years of debate, planning and legal wrangling. In fact the final legal challenge which had the potential to halt the project was not thrown out of court until March this year (2016).

It was hoped that the chord would be open by 2016 but the legal challenge has meant that the £85m project will not now be complete until late 2017.

The denial by the court for the projects main opponent Mark Whitby to appeal an earlier decision to throw out his case means that the project can now proceed at full pace. In late March (2016) an agreement was signed by Amey, Skanska, Bam Nuttall, and Siemens in partnership with Network Rail to deliver the project.

Approval to proceed with the chord constitutes a major step forward in the Northern Hub programme which aims to connect cities across the north with reliable, frequent and fast rail services. By connecting Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly together for the first time new service opportunities will arise and crucially capacity will be released with the ability to run through services from Victoria instead of having services terminate.

The new chord will link the Castlefield Junction line with the Deal Street Junction line, connecting Manchester's three main stations for the first time. The line must cross the A6042 Trinity Way, the River Irwel, Princess Bridge and bisect the line which currently connects the Museum of Science and Industry to the national rail network.

Looking south along Trinity Way toward where the new bridge will be constructed

The line will feature the UK's first Network Arch bridge, which will span the River Irwel and take the line over the Princess Bridge which provides pedestrian and cycle access between Water Street and Trinity Way.

The view from Water St looking toward where the bridge will cross the River Irwel

Since the start of work last year the main sites have now been established and piling is now commencing. A 10 day blockade of Manchester Victoria took place over the Easter period to allow the track between the station and the chord to be aligned along with other associated track works.

Admittedly there isn't currently a great deal to see on the ground other than the work sites and some piling work, but we will return in a few months to check on progress when the structures start to take shape.

The main site located on the junction of Trinity Way and Water St

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Manchester Metrolink - Second City Crossing

Second City Crossing or 2CC as it is known is a new Metrolink line which is currently under construction. The new line will as the name suggests provide a second crossing through the centre of the city, as well as a new city centre stop and upgraded stop at St Peter's Square.

"The new line will begin in Lower Mosley Street and run through St Peter’s Square, before turning left down Princess Street and then heading along Cross Street and Corporation Street before re-joining the existing Metrolink line just outside Victoria" (1).  A new stop will also be constructed at Exchange Square and a new larger stop at St Peter's Square.

The new crossing will increase the capacity and flexibility of the network and will allow for further expansion of the Metrolink network. The current city centre section is working at capacity which means that trams arriving from the recently completed Airport line currently have to terminate at Cornbrook. When the Second City Crossing is complete trams from Manchester Airport will be able to reach Manchester Victoria through the centre of the city.

Work began on the new line in summer 2014 and is expected to open in 2017. Work is currently focusing on two main work sites, one just outside Manchester Victoria where the new line will join the existing line before heading into the station. 

Complex works are also taking place at a site at St Peter's Square where new sections of track will be laid and the stop upgraded. The new island platforms will each have two platform edges creating a new 4 platform stop. Work St Peter's Square to divert utilities has already been complete and is focusing on preparing the ground for the new lines and platforms.

Work is also currently progressing along Corporation Street, Cross Street and Lower Mosley Street where work is well underway to divert utilities.

Work underway to connect 2CC with the existing line at Victoria

Work  progressing along Corporation St and Cross St

Current works at St Peter's Square

Work progressing along Lower Mosley St

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.

A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Improvement

In November 2014 work began on a £200m project to improve the A556 between the M56 and M6. The project involves constructing a new 7.5km 4 lane dual carriageway between the two motorways in order to relieve congestion on this stretch of the road.

The A556 is a major trunk road which serves north Cheshire and south Manchester. The section of road also provides a connection between the M6 at junction 19 and M56 at junction 7.

The A556 between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 currently carries 51,000 vehicles per day, 11% of which are HQVs. The road is currently a mixture of single 4-lane carriageway, with sections of dual 2-lane carriageway, along which are several junctions and a number of properties.

As a result of this the road is often severely congested, particularly at peak times. And according to the Highways Agency there were 98 incidents along this stretch, including 1 fatality and 13 serious injuries in the period January 2007 to December 2011.

The project will also involve reconfiguring the junction at Bowdon in order to create a grade separated overpass. The new junction will improve the link between the M56 junction 7, A556 and the turn off for Altrincham.

The original A556 route will be "de-trunked" reducing it to a single carriageway after the new section of road is complete. The existing southbound carriageway will become two lanes and the northbound carriageway will be used to provide a pathway for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.

Facts and figures

• 51,000 vehicles per day currently use the A556
• Cost of the project is estimated at £165m to £221m 
• A new 7.5km grade separated dual carriageway will be constructed
• 130,000 tonnes of tarmac will be layed
• 300 people employed on site
• 5 new overpasses will be constructed 
• The project will take approximately 2 years to complete 
• The main contractor for the project is Costain

For more information visit the Highways Agency website 

Map of the new A566 by-pass (click to enlarge)

The images below were taken from the site at Bowdon, where work has begun to build a new junction.

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