The thing is, if we're building a new station in the car park of that new development that's just been thrown up, then why would we want something as simple as a four platform station, why don't we go all out and have a multi phase development to put in 260m long platforms to mirror those at Piccadilly, and place in extensive terminating facilities, combined with grade seperation at Ordsall Lane Junction.
I'm thinking of an 8 platform Network Rail station, two through platforms on the North and South sides each at 260m to be completed after a central core of four 180m long platforms to be built first, and used as terminating platforms with permissive working to allow two 80m units to terminate and/or split in the same platform.
This would then be combined with Metrolink platforms in two places, one set in roughly the same place as they are now, but slewed slightly further northbound, so all though services call there, and within the new "Whitworth Street" station complex, four additional Metrolink platforms of 8 car length to take longer services and tram trains on the Alty and Stockport lines that would be running as through services to Chester/Middlewich/Northwich/Crewe and Stockport/Hazel Grove/Chinley/Buxton respectively. Taking pressure off Piccadilly by running services via that route, and of course, providing intergrated ticketing with National Rail services and four tracking the viaduct between Cornbrook and Deansgate, services would then run under two TOCs, one operating the traditional all shacks metrolink services through 1CC and 2CC, and possibly 3CC (Direct route to Piccadily via Whitworth Street) and a 2nd TOC running the longer services out on the Mid Cheshire Line, towards and beyond Hazel Grove via Stockport (Pure metrolink services would run at 5tph to Stockport's current station and bus station with on street running while other services would continue to Hazel Grove independantly of this and continue from there to Buxton and/or Chinley, using the Freight lines to Hazel Grove, and then Diesel Tram/Train running to Chinley and Buxton)
So the Metrolink Long Distance Operator services that would be running from Oxford Road would look like 2tph Crewe via Middlewich and Sandbatch, 2tph Chester/Northwich via Alty, 2tph Chinley, 2tph Buxton. The 3CC link would run on a viaduct from these new platforms at high level until Whitworth Street on the other side of Oxford Road, then onto surface with a station at Princess Road, and then down onto Piccadilly Low Level with it's own new platforms, 50tph would run on Metrolink through the city with 20tph on the current link, and 15tph on the current 2CC, 25tph would be running between Deansgate and Victoria, 15 on 2CC and 10 on 1CC, the remaining 10 on 1CC would run to Piccadilly and 10tph would run on 1CC between Piccadilly and Victoria, 3CC would take the remaining 15tph off the Metrolink City routes, the 50tph would be divvied up to provide 10tph Alty (passing loops for the other 4tph put in place, leave the current network before Navvy Rd to use the NR platforms), 5tph Media City, 5tph Eccles, 10tph East Didsbury with 5tph extended to Stockport (again, passing loops), 10tph would run to Manchester Airport with the remaining 10tph running to Port Salford, with a later extention to Leigh.
1CC and 2CC services would use one pair of lines on the viaduct placing 35tph on that route with 3CC and TT services using the other, giving that pair of lines 23tph to deal with, paired of course by use and all handled back at Cornbrook.
The Metrolink network would then be changed and intergrated with a GM TTW Tube Map style network..
Enough fantasy yet?
)) and are much better equipped than you or I to assess whether it is feasible?
