The work will improve a stretch of track critical to the journeys of around 400,000 trains into Manchester every year

17:20, 10 Feb 2026Updated 19:50, 10 Feb 2026

The work ‘will benefit Manchester’s railway for years to come’.(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Manchester Piccadilly train station is set to effectively close for nine days starting from this Saturday, to allow a major track and signalling upgrade. The revamp – which is costing almost £8 million to complete – is being described as a “once-in-a-generation” overhaul.

Almost all of the station will be closed over the February half-term, from February 14 to February 22, while the work takes place. No trains from the south or east will run into Piccadilly during the nine days.

Network Rail is investing around £7.9 million to replace ageing infrastructure on the southern approach to the station – including old tracks, signals, cables, sleepers and points – much of which dates back to the 1980s. The aim is to improve reliability and reduce future disruption for trains.

Try MEN Premium NOW for just £1

Rebecca Rathore, Network Rail route strategy director, North West: “We’re doing the work now because some of the equipment and the assets that we’ve got outside of Piccadilly is reaching the end of its life cycle – that causes unreliability. By improving the network and investing in it now, that will reduce the amount of incidents that we have and it will make the network more reliable.

“We’ve got a lot of processes in places to make sure we can deliver the work we need to do, we can get in and get out in time but also make sure we can still provide a service for people to travel and make their journeys. Ultimately it’s about making the infrastructure a lot more reliable going forward, that’s always the goal.”

Rathore added that in 2024 there was a failure at least once every fortnight on average because the infrastructure on this section of the line is so old. By doing this work, Network Rail hopes to create a more reliable infrastructure for its customers.

As well as trains from the south and east being cancelled, some northbound services and direct links to Manchester Airport will also be affected. Normal services will be rerouted or terminate at other stations like Stockport, with rail replacement buses and other alternatives running.

Transport for Greater Manchester will also be supporting with ticket acceptance across a range of Bee Network bus and Metrolink services on affected routes. Ben Cookson, TfGM senior control centre manager said: “This is a big team effort across Network Rail, their partners and Transport for Greater Manchester and their partners to keep customers moving as best as possible throughout the Piccadilly rail works.

“Our key message is to check before you travel and plan ahead, because you may experience some additional journey time, but there are options to get you to where you need to go. We have extra buses laid on and we will be accepting rail tickets on the bus and the tram. All our services that serve Piccadilly station are still around. So check before you travel, use online sources such as the Bee Network app and website to plan your journeys.”

While the train shed (platforms 1–12) will close, Manchester Piccadilly’s concourse will remain open to the public. There will be a limited service westbound from platforms 13 and 14. Staff will be on hand to coordinate bus and Metrolink Bee Network journeys.

Andy Doyle, Avanti head of operational readiness, said: “We think that it’s really important that this work gets done, and as such, we’re putting in place a rail replacement operation between Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly, where we’ll be running regular buses throughout the engineering work.

“There’s never a good time, unfortunately, to do engineering work, but we are supportive of Network Rail taking the time to renew the junction at Ardwick and undertake this work because it’s really important to make sure we’re maintaining our infrastructure and it’s really important for our customers to have a reliable railway.”

Customers are being urged to plan ahead and check with rail operators before they travel. Stuart Taylor, Director of Service Delivery at Northern, said: “We recognise it’s disruptive for customers, but this is a critical part of the railway in one of the busiest stations in the country and these improvement works from Network Rail will improve reliability for all customers for many years into the future.

“We do expect services and rail replacement buses to be busy, so our ask is please check before you travel. You can find information on the Northern website, on our partners, TfGM, Network Rail and other train operators. And keep an eye on socials for the latest updates. I would just thank customers for their patience during this disruption. We recognise it’s challenging, however there will be benefits to Manchester’s railway for years to come.”

Changes to train services

From the south of Manchester

All Avanti West Coast Main Line services to Manchester will terminate at Stockport.All Cross Country services from the south and south west to Manchester will terminate at Stockport.A limited service will call at Manchester Airport from Crewe. All other airport services will be replaced by buses.Services from South Wales to Manchester will terminate at Crewe. Onward connections will be available.

To the east of Manchester

Services from Glossop and Hadfield will terminate at Guide Bridge.Fast services from Sheffield will terminate at Stockport.Stopping services from Sheffield will terminate at Guide Bridge.Services from Leeds and Huddersfield will only travel to Manchester Victoria.

From the north and west of Manchester

Services from North Wales and Chester will terminate at Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Bank Quay.Services from Liverpool and Warrington Central will terminate at Manchester Oxford Road.Trains from Preston and Bolton will terminate at Manchester Victoria or Manchester Oxford Road.TransPennine Express services from Scotland will terminate at Preston.Services from Chester via Northwich will terminate at Altrincham.Rail replacement information

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Piccadilly and:

StockportManchester Airport (some via Gatley/Burnage/East Didsbury)Chesterfield

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Airport and:

Warrington Bank Quay via Warrington CentralPrestonBoltonManchester PiccadillyHuddersfield via Stockport

Rail replacement bus services will run between Manchester Victoria and:

Guide BridgeRose Hill Marple via Romiley

Passengers for Altrincham are advised to use the Bee Network Metrolink connection.