Piccadilly corridor renewal - February 2026 (infrastructure updates)

[yorkie]

North West route - Network Rail

The North West route is home to powerhouse cities of Liverpool and Manchester, as well as tourist destinations such as Blackpool.

www.networkrail.co.uk

In February 2026, we’re investing £7.9m to improve tracks, points and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station – delivering better, more reliable journeys for passengers...

...Teams will replace 11 sets of points, renew timber sleepers with modern, concrete equivalents and bring lineside equipment bang up to date across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight...

...In 2024, there were 35 faults on this stretch of track. Therefore, this much-needed critical life-expired track infrastructure renewal is designed to improve train performance in Greater Manchester and on the West Coast Main Line...

This thread is for infrastructure updates.

There is a parallel thread for timetable alterations at the link below:

'Ardwick Blockade' - February 2026 (timetable alteration updates)

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/our-routes/north-west/piccadilly-corridor-renewal/ The main work takes place over nine days during February half term, from Saturday 14 – Sunday 22 February 2026. During this time, there will be no trains from the south and east of the city into...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[The Planner]

Its a S&C rewewal. Thats it.

 

[Cletus]

Updates from the Manchester Piccadilly twitter feed, including photos.

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailMAN

 

[Rail Ranger]

I see that the reversible down slow line through Ardwick Junction reopened on time at 12.00 on Tuesday 17th February and intermodal trains to and from Trafford Park have resumed using their normal route through Ardwick Junction. Up until then they were coming into Manchester via Warrington Bank Quay and Chat Moss topped and tailed and were reversing between Oxford Road and Piccadilly.

 

[Freightmaster]

I see that the reversible down slow line through Ardwick Junction reopened on time at 12.00 on Tuesday 17th February and intermodal trains to and from Trafford Park have resumed using their normal route through Ardwick Junction. Up until then they were coming into Manchester via Warrington Bank Quay and Chat Moss topped and tailed and were reversing between Oxford Road and Piccadilly.

That arrangement only applies during the day - intermodal services are still running via Eccles
between midnight and 6am (and all day next Saturday)



MARK

 

[LRV3004]

Two DB trains have departed Trafford Park in top and tail fashion this morning yet gone normal route, unless of course they went into Trafford Park via Eccles of course. I’m currently on 4H43 in Chelford Loop - definitely going normal route and definitely not top and tailed!!!

 

[CN12]

How is the work going? I saw a picture the other day of some of the new points and it looked like wooden sleepers where being used, would concrete sleepers not have been better or is it due to being on a viaduct?

 

[The Planner]

Will be handed back on time. Wooden will be fine as its 20mph.

 

[Bald Rick]

How is the work going? I saw a picture the other day of some of the new points and it looked like wooden sleepers where being used, would concrete sleepers not have been better or is it due to being on a viaduct?

Timber sleepers (known as bearers if under pointwork) are good for any speed.

There are some places where pointwork is particularly unusual (in terms of angles, curvature etc) where the bearers are essentially bespoke in terms of where fittings have to be drilled etc, therefore timber is used because the lead time for replacing them in case of failure is much shorter than having a new concrete one made to a specific, millimetre perfect design. With timber you just drill the holes where you need them, you can’t do that on concrete.

 

[fishwomp]

Timber sleepers (known as bearers if under pointwork) are good for any speed.

I've often seen timber used where rail passes over some structure, or on some bridges, for example, the timber sleepers showed exactly where the old foot tunnel between platforms at Oxford lies. Not sure if that's still true, but I recall it a decade or so ago. I guess shock waves are dampened better with timber.

 

[Bald Rick]

I've often seen timber used where rail passes over some structure, or on some bridges, for example, the timber sleepers showed exactly where the old foot tunnel between platforms at Oxford lies. Not sure if that's still true, but I recall it a decade or so ago. I guess shock waves are dampened better with timber.

That‘s usually about static weight on structures.

 

[YorkshireBear]

That‘s usually about static weight on structures.

Indeed, and timbers/wooden sleepers are thinner, which reduces your total trackbed depth and therefore overall dead weight.

 

[MAN-DGT]

Well the release from Network Rail was:

Teams will replace 11 sets of points, renew timber sleepers with modern, concrete equivalents and bring lineside equipment bang up to date across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight

Which sounds to me like concrete bearers would be used.

 

[The Planner]

Well the release from Network Rail was:

Teams will replace 11 sets of points, renew timber sleepers with modern, concrete equivalents and bring lineside equipment bang up to date across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight

Which sounds to me like concrete bearers would be used.

Looks like a mixture from pictures I have seen.