Manchester Victoria's roof has sprung a leak

RikGarner · 11 Jun 2026

I recently noticed that the fabric roof of the station had begun to sag in places and was collecting water. Well, heading through last night one of the sags had sprung a rather spectacular leak (and another one had this morning).
Difficult to see but there's a thin stream of water gracefully arcing it's way into this hastily located dumpster on the bridge into the arena.

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SECR 65 · 11 Jun 2026

Yesterday, as mentioned on the Signal Berth Codes thread, platforms ~~5 and 6~~ 1 and 2 were shut.

M60lad · 11 Jun 2026

Correction it was Platforms 1+2 that were briefly shut yesterday not 5 & 6.

The exile · 11 Jun 2026

What’s the bet it was once described as a “revolutionary” or “breakthrough” modern design? Both triggers to set the alarm bells ringing.

AlterEgo · 11 Jun 2026

Not the first time the roof has failed. From 2016: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-37700945

A new roof at Manchester's Victoria Station that had a panel cave in, injuring two people, is being inspected as an investigation gets under way.

The panel tore above Platforms 1 and 2 on Tuesday afternoon amid heavy rain.

Witnesses said "gallons of water" fell on people standing on a platform. Two people suffered minor head injuries.

takno · 11 Jun 2026

The exile said:
What’s the bet it was once described as a “revolutionary” or “breakthrough” modern design? Both triggers to set the alarm bells ringing.

It was a fairly modern design, and the water has undeniably broken through.

Bantamzen · 11 Jun 2026

That roof, the problems it has caused over the years. Leaks, collapses and of course requiring the stupid knee height QR readers....

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

The roof is absolutely fine and has been doing it's job well since the seagulls ruined it last time and it's those same birds which are back now pecking holes in it. I don't honestly know what the solution is.

I went up on the station building roof the other day and shouted at them with a megaphone maybe that will become part of our daily routine!

The exile · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
The roof is absolutely fine and has been doing it's job well since the seagulls ruined it last time and it's those same birds which are back now pecking holes in it. I don't honestly know what the solution is.

I went up on the station building roof the other day and shouted at them with a megaphone maybe that will become part of our daily routine!

Well, for a start, use a material that seagulls can’t peck holes. Something revolutionary and ground breaking like toughened glass, maybe?

Towers · 11 Jun 2026

The exile said:
Well, for a start, use a material that seagulls can’t peck holes. Something revolutionary and ground breaking like toughened glass, maybe?

That does seem a rather spectacular design fail!

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

Once the gulls are gone again it will be fine. It's not any more of a design fail than the glass at Piccadilly that has had to be totally replaced (at great expense) throughout the entire station resulting in platforms having to go out of use for weeks at a time

. The entire design (and cost of) the roof depended on it being cheaper and lighter.

The cost of plastic is virtually nothing compared to glass. In the eyes of the tax paying public that should be seen as a success.

The exile · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
Once the gulls are gone again it will be fine. It's not any more of a design fail than the glass at Piccadilly that has had to be totally replaced (at great expense) throughout the entire station resulting in platforms having to go out of use for weeks at a time . The entire design (and cost of) the roof depended on it being cheaper and lighter.

If the design of the roof depended on it being cheaper and lighter and that has led to it repeatedly failing to perform its principal function - then it is a design failure.
Why has the glass at Piccadilly had to be replaced? (And after how long?)

SECR 65 · 11 Jun 2026

Could some form of protective film that is seagull-resistant be placed down on top of the existing plastic roof? Surely there must be a relatively straightforward solution?

waveyswirley · 11 Jun 2026

Bantamzen said:
That roof, the problems it has caused over the years. Leaks, collapses and of course requiring the stupid knee height QR readers....

Could you elaborate on this? I hate those QR readers but didn't know they were like that because of the roof

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

The exile said:
If the design of the roof depended on it being cheaper and lighter and that has led to it repeatedly failing to perform its principal function - then it is a design failure.
Why has the glass at Piccadilly had to be replaced? (And after how long?)

There have been two issues one in 2016 and one in 2026 caused by birds, gulls which natural home is a cliff. If the design is to keep passengers dry, be lighter than glass, let in more natural light and lead to a 44 million pound roof cost Vs 100 I would say that's a success! It'll get sorted one way or the other. They are looking at options now.

Victoria's roof was completed in 2015, Piccadilly in 2002 with a total replacement through out 2024 and 2025.

Bantamzen · 11 Jun 2026

waveyswirley said:
Could you elaborate on this? I hate those QR readers but didn't know they were like that because of the roof

If I recall correctly, the usual readers that face upwards couldn't be used because of the amount of light coming through the roof.

fgwrich · 11 Jun 2026

What I find bizarre is that it’s the same air filled cushion design as used at The Eden Project, yet that doesn’t seem to suffer from bird strikes.

Unfortunately I can’t say I’m a fan of these, my local town had a large feature made of one when the local shopping centre was refurbished (and the took away all the canopy’s), they installed large daisy type structures. The largest worked until heavy snowfall caused the flower head to burst before collapsing.

Kilopylae · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
The cost of plastic is virtually nothing compared to glass. In the eyes of the tax paying public that should be seen as a success.

Can we have this on a little sign next to the leak?

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

Kilopylae said:
Can we have this on a little sign next to the leak?

I'm telling you now if we were waiting for replacement glass you wouldn't be able to get near the sign due to the huge empty space where the glass should be but it's actually a waterfall! I worked under the old roof and this is nothing.

Pete 1981 · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
The roof is absolutely fine and has been doing it's job well since the seagulls ruined it last time and it's those same birds which are back now pecking holes in it. I don't honestly know what the solution is.

I went up on the station building roof the other day and shouted at them with a megaphone maybe that will become part of our daily routine!

Were the birds traumatised by you shouting at them?

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

Pete 1981 said:
Were the birds traumatised by you shouting at them?

Well they didn't return for the rest of the day so I'd say so!

cats_five · 11 Jun 2026

The exile said:
Well, for a start, use a material that seagulls can’t peck holes. Something revolutionary and ground breaking like toughened glass, maybe?

Maybe too heavy for the supporting structure.

The exile · 11 Jun 2026

cats_five said:
Maybe too heavy for the supporting structure.

Almost certainly - but not for a proper structure!

faltskog36abba · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
There have been two issues one in 2016 and one in 2026 caused by birds, gulls which natural home is a cliff. If the design is to keep passengers dry, be lighter than glass, let in more natural light and lead to a 44 million pound roof cost Vs 100 I would say that's a success! It'll get sorted one way or the other. They are looking at options now.

Victoria's roof was completed in 2015, Piccadilly in 2002 with a total replacement through out 2024 and 2025.

Didn't the roof cost £16 million and the overall spend was £44 million?. With an additional £5 million that had been arranged after [The better stations] pot had run dry.

yorksrob · 11 Jun 2026

Personally I'd have preferred them to re-glaze the existing train shed.

Towers · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
There have been two issues one in 2016 and one in 2026 caused by birds, gulls which natural home is a cliff. If the design is to keep passengers dry, be lighter than glass, let in more natural light and lead to a 44 million pound roof cost Vs 100 I would say that's a success! It'll get sorted one way or the other. They are looking at options now.

Victoria's roof was completed in 2015, Piccadilly in 2002 with a total replacement through out 2024 and 2025.

It’s having to be redesigned, then? That isn’t a design success!

Hopefully it ends up coming in at less than the £100m that you quoted overall, but if it’s already cost £44m and appears to be unfit for purpose than that isn’t a given!

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see other ideas for these structures aside from glass, even if their success might be mixed.

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

Towers said:
It’s having to be redesigned, then? That isn’t a design success!

It won't be redesign there's no money for that but likely it will involve stronger protection from birds, improving bird deterrents and more regular inspections from the NR property department. There's potential for the entire thing to be netted up so that the seagulls can't get close enough to pop holes in it!

Baxenden Bank · 11 Jun 2026

Geeves said:
It won't be redesign there's no money for that but likely it will involve stronger protection from birds, improving bird deterrents and more regular inspections from the NR property department. There's potential for the entire thing to be netted up so that the seagulls can't get close enough to pop holes in it!

I think there already is a cheaper solution. Well identified and volunteered. Please purchase one deckchair from B & M on expenses and sit on the roof, daily, shout when necessary. Ensure staff and public underneath are aware of your task and don't think you are up to no good. :lol:

johnnychips · 11 Jun 2026

According to AI, you need to install a white-tailed eagle or peregrine falcon in the nearby cathedral close. Mind, if the falcon dived and missed, it could bring the whole roof down. :lol:

Geeves · 11 Jun 2026

Baxenden Bank said:
I think there already is a cheaper solution. Well identified and volunteered. Please purchase one deckchair from B & M on expenses and sit on the roof, daily, shout when necessary. Ensure staff and public underneath are aware of your task and don't think you are up to no good.

I will happily sit up there all day no problem at all!! Ha

Manchester Victoria's roof has sprung a leak

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