Piccadilly or Oxford Road?

[Al_Smith]

Next week we will be going to Manchester Airport from Chesterfield with luggage.
We need to change trains in Manchester - would it be easier to change at Piccadilly or Oxford Road?
Or is there a better route?

Thanks

 

[Bletchleyite]

Next week we will be going to Manchester Airport from Chesterfield with luggage.
We need to change trains in Manchester - would it be easier to change at Piccadilly or Oxford Road?
Or is there a better route?

I would go with Piccadilly purely because it has more trains to the Airport than Oxford Road does, plus you might be lucky and it'll be cross platform (14 to 13). Castlefield is not known for its reliability, and it won't be cross platform at Oxford Road, as you'd need to cross the bridge from 2/3 to 4 for the vast majority of trains.

 

[Watershed]

Next week we will be going to Manchester Airport from Chesterfield with luggage.
We need to change trains in Manchester - would it be easier to change at Piccadilly or Oxford Road?
Or is there a better route?

Thanks

Piccadilly - it will be a cross-platform interchange from 14 to 13, provided you take the direct EMR service (and it's not one of the handful that terminate at Piccadilly).

 

[Al_Smith]

Thanks for this. Cross platform defiantly best!

I had expected to change at Piccadilly, but for some reason the National Rail Enquiries app suggests Oxford Road!

 

[transportphoto]

Perhaps something to bear in mind for the return journey, if there is one, is that trains leaving Manchester towards Sheffield/Chesterfield are typically full and standing. It may be worth considering changing at Oxford Road on the way back for a higher chance of getting a seat on the EMR service. (See also separate thread discussing overcrowding: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/emr-overcrowding.228080/)

 

[LowLevel]

Thanks for this. Cross platform defiantly best!

I had expected to change at Piccadilly, but for some reason the National Rail Enquiries app suggests Oxford Road!

I believe this is intentional where time allows to reduce congestion on platforms 13/14 at Piccadilly.

If you have luggage I would however suggest you ignore it and go for Piccadilly.