Manchester Airport line - Platform extensions

[CJ]

Network Rail have recently published a press release, outlining platform extensions for 3 of the Manchester Airport line stations: Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury and Gatley, which will be starting from Sunday January 8th:

Platforms at three stations between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport are being extended for passengers from this weekend.

Network Rail is investing £8.5m to lengthen Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury and Gatley stations to make way for longer trains, providing more seats in future for passengers travelling along the busy airport line.

The work begins on Sunday 8 January and will be complete by the end of March.

To carry out the upgrades, the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport will be closed for six Sundays on:

• January 8, 15 and 22
• February 12, 19, and 26

Replacement buses will be in place to keep passengers on the move but people are being advised to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk and allow extra time for their journeys to and from the airport on those dates.

You can read more about it on the official page here:

Platform extensions for longer trains on Manchester Airport line

Platforms at three stations between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport are being extended for passengers from this weekend.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

 

[busestrains]

Network Rail have recently published a press release, outlining platform extensions for 3 of the Manchester Airport line stations: Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury and Gatley, which will be starting from Sunday January 8th:



You can read more about it on the official page here:

Platform extensions for longer trains on Manchester Airport line

Platforms at three stations between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport are being extended for passengers from this weekend.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Out of interest why are Burnage and Heald Green not being done too? Or are they already longer than the East Didsbury and Gatley and Mauldeth Road platforms?

Does anyone know how long the platforms are being extended to as the article does not say? How many coaches will they be able to take after they are extended?

Also i hope ticket acceptance on the trams is arranged. It seems silly to make passengers travelling between the airport and the city centre use rail replacement buses when the trams will still be available.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Current platfrom lengths (Up/Down) from the SA:
Styal: 166/165m
Heald Green: 142/142
Gatley: 106/122
East Didsbury: 104/112
Burnage 149/150
Mauldeth Road 121/140

So if the target is 6x23m = 138m (ie double 323/331), Styal, Heald Green and Burnage are already compliant.
However, looking at current through services, and taking Liverpool-Airport as an example, many stations on the Chat Moss route can not take 2x323/331, so are going to remain single units.

 

[JonathanH]

Also i hope ticket acceptance on the trams is arranged. It seems silly to make passengers travelling between the airport and the city centre use rail replacement buses when the trams will still be available.

Won't locals simply use the tram or local buses using the appropriate fares if they are more convenient? The tram doesn't go directly from the East Didsbury line to Piccadillly Station so isn't ideal as a rail replacement option for connections from there.

 

[sportzbar]

However, looking at current through services, and taking Liverpool-Airport as an example, many stations on the Chat Moss route can not take 2x323/331, so are going to remain single units.

Chat Moss route already sees regular double 331 services using ASDO....

 

[Kite159]

Also i hope ticket acceptance on the trams is arranged. It seems silly to make passengers travelling between the airport and the city centre use rail replacement buses when the trams will still be available.

Depends if there will be nonstop buses available between the airport & Piccadilly. As those will probably be faster than the tram.

 

[sportzbar]

Depends if there will be nonstop buses available between the airport & Piccadilly. As those will probably be faster than the tram.

Buses scheduled every 30 mins from Piccadilly (probably more than one at a time, but this is rail replacement buses).

:30 each hour Picc-Heald Green-Airport

:00 each hour Picc-All Stops-Airport

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, looking at current through services, and taking Liverpool-Airport as an example, many stations on the Chat Moss route can not take 2x323/331, so are going to remain single units.

It's at least in part for 6-car (6x24) Barrow and Windermere operation. The Furness Line platforms have already been done.

 

[scragend]

Depends if there will be nonstop buses available between the airport & Piccadilly. As those will probably be faster than the tram.

Anything will be faster than the tram. It takes forever.

 

[Greybeard33]

It's at least in part for 6-car (6x24) Barrow and Windermere operation. The Furness Line platforms have already been done.

The Barrow and Windermere services currently call at Gatley but skip the other stations. The TfW services call at E Didsbury. Only the Chat Moss and Crewe stoppers currently call at Mauldeth Road.

The 195/1 and 331/0 are 71.4m long, so 143m for a double formation.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Barrow and Windermere services currently call at Gatley but skip the other stations. The TfW services call at E Didsbury. Only the Chat Moss and Crewe stoppers currently call at Mauldeth Road.

Doesn't mean that pattern will remain though.

 

[OrangeJuice]

Aren't northern getting more 323's from WMT eventually and wouldn't they then be run in pairs?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Aren't northern getting more 323's from WMT eventually and wouldn't they then be run in pairs?

Yes, Northern are getting the WMT 323s and they will replace 319s and 6.331 sets (in pairs) in the North West I believe (I bet Blackpool line people won't like it, but they do have more capacity due to the 3+2 seating). 323s don't have ASDO so this may be why they are extending platforms now.

 

[Greybeard33]

Aren't northern getting more 323's from WMT eventually and wouldn't they then be run in pairs?

The 323s do not have SDO and so would need platform extensions on the Chat Moss and Crewe lines before they could work the Airport line stoppers in multiple.

 

[javelin]

Unless I've missed something, Chat Moss is planned to be done too and was announced at the same time as the Styal line was.

 

[js1000]

The stations on the Styal Line all received ASDO beacons in late 2017/early 2018 ready for the arrival of six coach 195s and 331s. However the Class 323 do not even have SDO - nevermind automatic SDO.

Commuter patronage on the Styal line has been absolutely battered over the past 5 years or so good to see they are making improvements. The 2018 timetable change to skip-stop services on this line never made much sense to me. An express service to/from Piccadilly to the Airport is no more quicker than a stopping service due to the 70mph speed restriction and the increased unreliability simply turns commuters away and cannibalises bread and butter commuter revenue.

Doubling to six-car 323 service for a reliable half-hourly service, upgrading capacity for commuters and an effective shuttle service for visitors, should hopefully get this route back on track.

 

[Liverpool 507]

Chat Moss route already sees regular double 331 services using ASDO....

Not since the timetable change. Those double services that operated before the timetable change involved local door only entry and exit on the back set. Even at stations where five of six coaches fitted.

Unless I've missed something, Chat Moss is planned to be done too and was announced at the same time as the Styal line was.

Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows are to be done for the benefit of TPE. The main platform extensions in Merseyside at the moment are for the Merseyrail 777s so I would assume why Chat Moss is still in the queue so to speak.

 

[CJ]

6-car 331s have been used on the Liverpool - Airport stopper during industrial action days (according to RTT), but normally (since Dec 22 timetable) they have been a mixture of single 3-car 323 or 3-car 331. 4-car 319s no longer run on this route.

6-car 185s were used on the Redcar - Airport service when they stopped at Gatley initially (front 4 cars would open towards Airport, front 5 cars would open towards Piccadilly). However, this has now been replaced by the Cumbria service during Weekdays/Saturdays, with the TPE service continuing to stop on Sundays only.

Some stations on the Manchester Airport - Cumbria service have had their station platforms extended for 6-car 195 operations recently (just in time for the Dec 22 timetable change), so it's good to see that further progress is being made for routes which are destined/aspired for 6-car operation.

Here's hoping it won't be too long until some of the Chat Moss/Crewe stopper stations are extended also.

The stations on the Styal Line all received ASDO beacons in late 2017/early 2018 ready for the arrival of six coach 195s and 331s. However the Class 323 do not even have SDO - nevermind automatic SDO.

Commuter patronage on the Styal line has been absolutely battered over the past 5 years or so good to see they are making improvements. The 2018 timetable change to skip-stop services on this line never made much sense to me. An express service to/from Piccadilly to the Airport is no more quicker than a stopping service due to the 70mph speed restriction and the increased unreliability simply turns commuters away and cannibalises bread and butter commuter revenue.

Doubling to six-car 323 service for a reliable half-hourly service, upgrading capacity for commuters and an effective shuttle service for visitors, should hopefully get this route back on track.

Yes agreed, fingers crossed we see stability on this line once again.

Unless I've missed something, Chat Moss is planned to be done too and was announced at the same time as the Styal line was.

I remember reading something similar also.

 

[Greybeard33]

Unless I've missed something, Chat Moss is planned to be done too and was announced at the same time as the Styal line was.

According to the Sectional Appendix, nearly all the platforms on the Chat Moss line are less than 140m, the only exceptions being Edge Hill, Roby Down, Rainhill Up and Earlestown Up. So quite a lot of work to do.

 

[CE142]

It's at least in part for 6-car (6x24) Barrow and Windermere operation. The Furness Line platforms have already been done.

The only platforms that will take 2x195/1s on the Furness line bothways are Carnforth and Barrow..... And Grange on the Up.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The only platforms that will take 2x195/1s on the Furness line bothways are Carnforth and Barrow..... And Grange on the Up.

What were the recent extensions, then?

 

[Starmill]

The only platforms that will take 2x195/1s on the Furness line bothways are Carnforth and Barrow..... And Grange on the Up.

Indeed. But at least they can all take four coaches now.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jan 2023 ==

What were the recent extensions, then?

Just to enable both units to be on the platform.

 

[javelin]

According to the Sectional Appendix, nearly all the platforms on the Chat Moss line are less than 140m, the only exceptions being Edge Hill, Roby Down, Rainhill Up and Earlestown Up. So quite a lot of work to do.

Found it.

£84m for North West rail gets mixed signals - The Transport Network

www.transport-network.co.uk

It [DfT] gave the following breakdown of the £84m:

• £16.8m of the investment will go into a two-phase programme of infrastructure works to enhance the performance and reliability benefits of the new December 2022 timetable, including track improvements on the Manchester-Liverpool route and platform extensions at four stations on the Cumbrian route, which will start this summer and be complete by December.
• £41.5m will go into depot improvements and 17 platform extensions on the Chat Moss, Bolton, Styal and Leeds NW lines. This will support the already-planned roll-out of refurbished Class 323 electric trains by Northern, with work beginning this summer and to be completed by Summer 2023, meaning that passengers can enjoy better reliability and capacity across routes, including the Bolton Corridor.
• £26m will go towards design and development work on three planned tranches of upgrades to improve passenger facilities at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria, as well as plans for re-signalling works on the Castlefield Corridor and a remodelling of Oxford Road station, all to be completed by the mid-2030s.

Make of that what you will.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

6-car 331s have been used on the Liverpool - Airport stopper during industrial action days (according to RTT), but normally (since Dec 22 timetable) they have been a mixture of single 3-car 323 or 3-car 331. 4-car 319s no longer run on this route.

Where have the 319s gone to, then?
Do they still do Piccadilly-Airport-Crewe?

 

[jfollows]

Where have the 319s gone to, then?
Do they still do Piccadilly-Airport-Crewe?

Not a single one working through Wilmslow today.
Plenty on Wigan-Liverpool Lime Street booked workings though. And Blackpool North to Liverpool Lime Street workings.
(Realtime Trains and look for 4-car allocations before drilling down.)

EDIT Back in November someone was good enough to post the EMU diagrams, including for class 319, on this forum. The only A booked working to Manchester Airport I can see is 2F13 05:32 Manchester Airport to Liverpool Lime Street, which was 319 381 today. There is also 2A27 00:03 Piccadilly-Airport.

 

[Greybeard33]

Found it.

£84m for North West rail gets mixed signals - The Transport Network

www.transport-network.co.uk

Make of that what you will.

By my count 1415 platforms need doing on the Chat Moss line, plus the 5 on the Styal line, plus 6 at Blackrod, Adlington and Leyland, plus however many on the Aire and Wharfe Valley lines. So I do not understand how they arrived at a total of only 17, although Sectional Appendix platform lengths are not always accurate/up to date.

Of course some will just involve bringing a disused portion of the platform back into use.

 

[jonesy3001]

Not a single one working through Wilmslow today.
Plenty on Wigan-Liverpool Lime Street booked workings though. And Blackpool North to Liverpool Lime Street workings.
(Realtime Trains and look for 4-car allocations before drilling down.)

EDIT Back in November someone was good enough to post the EMU diagrams, including for class 319, on this forum. The only A booked working to Manchester Airport I can see is 2F13 05:32 Manchester Airport to Liverpool Lime Street, which was 319 381 today. There is also 2A27 00:03 Piccadilly-Airport.

Shared 323/331 workings in the Piccadilly area apart from the blackpools and hadfields and as stated, the only 319 is the early airport to liverpool train.
Victoria is your best bet for the 319s now.

 

[507020]

Commuter patronage on the Styal line has been absolutely battered over the past 5 years or so good to see they are making improvements. The 2018 timetable change to skip-stop services on this line never made much sense to me.

Doesn't mean that pattern will remain though.

The current Styal line pattern is utterly broken and won’t last long. There is now 2tph all stops, but at the expense of the Lime Street - Warrington Bank Quay electric service, but too many trains run non-stop, not enough skip-stop calls have been retained and the ones that have should probably run non-stop, e.g. the Barrow/Windermere service should definitely run non-stop and the Blackpool North - Hazel Grove which has been hastily diverted that way should not.

Yes, Northern are getting the WMT 323s and they will replace 319s and 6.331 sets (in pairs) in the North West I believe (I bet Blackpool line people won't like it, but they do have more capacity due to the 3+2 seating). 323s don't have ASDO so this may be why they are extending platforms now.

I thought 323s were banned through Chorley. They might get away with replacing many of the 319/769 workings and Sprinters on the new Stalybridge/Westhoughton wires, but they will never displace 6 car 331s to Blackpool North. The line just couldn’t take the capacity reduction.

I doubt 323s could be pathed to run at 90mph on the WCML between Wigan and Preston either, but that might be able to cope with a 4 car 331.

Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows are to be done for the benefit of TPE. The main platform extensions in Merseyside at the moment are for the Merseyrail 777s so I would assume why Chat Moss is still in the queue so to speak.

I do hope Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows get done to 6 car length now TPE are running 6 car 185s on the Hull service. The Merseyrail platform extensions are nearly done so the same team may be able to move onto Chat Moss.

I’ve heard that the Roby and Huyton island platforms can’t be lengthened to 6 cars without track realignment, but they don’t look like that would make them too narrow to me.

Roby Down

Down Fast or Down Slow? Roby is 4 platforms.

Where have the 319s gone to, then?
Do they still do Piccadilly-Airport-Crewe?

There does seem to have been many changes to unit allocations in this timetable. I can’t work out what has been freed up or where.

Victoria is your best bet for the 319s now.

What electric only services run into Victoria? I have seen them on the peak Wigan North Western Chat Moss shuttles.

Does the early morning Stoke-on-Trent - Blackpool North 331 not still run, formerly the only 331 south of Stockport other than to Hazel Grove?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Shared 323/331 workings in the Piccadilly area apart from the blackpools and hadfields and as stated, the only 319 is the early airport to liverpool train.
Victoria is your best bet for the 319s now.

So it looks like 319s have swapped with 331s on the Liverpool-Wigan-Blackpool runs, with the 331s now on the Airport run.

 

[jfollows]

So it looks like 319s have swapped with 331s on the Liverpool-Wigan-Blackpool runs, with the 331s now on the Airport run.

See
#1,829
and
#1,876
for the diagrams originally posted in thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/december-2022-timetable-changes.231835/