Manchester Oxford Road Station remodelling

Supporting more reliable, frequent and accessible train services throughout Greater Manchester

Improving rail in Manchester

The Grade II Listed Manchester Oxford Road Station is an important interchange for passengers travelling to and from Manchester city centre and is located on a key stretch of railway connecting Manchester to the wider region, and the north and south of the city.

The Manchester Oxford Road Station Remodelling Scheme will see major improvements for users of the station and the wider rail network. It will deliver more reliable journeys, helping to address the current bottleneck between Deansgate and Piccadilly stations. Our proposals will also enable longer trains and more services to use the station, meaning more passengers can access services.

What work is taking place?

Manchester Oxford Road Station sits within a busy stretch of railway between Deansgate and Piccadilly stations. It is a key interchange station, providing connectivity to the wider rail network.

We are working on proposals to make significant improvements at the station. Our goal is to increase capacity and address the bottleneck on the national rail network. To achieve this, we plan to change the layout of tracks and platforms. We’ll also improve connections between platforms, and upgrade the signalling system.

How will this work affect me?

We will provide more details about our proposals in early 2025. At that time, we will launch a public consultation and seek your feedback and involvement. You can find more information on this webpage when the consultation begins.

Why is the work needed?

Manchester Oxford Road Station is situated on the Castlefield Corridor, a busy stretch of railway between Deansgate and Piccadilly stations. It is a key interchange station, providing connectivity to the wider rail network.

Due to the current layout of the station and tracks, movement of trains through the station is limited. This is hurting both train performance and limiting growth. Without remodelling the station, we will not be able to increase the numbers of passengers or trains calling at Oxford Road. This is especially important at peak times when passenger flow is already limited.

Benefits

Capacity

The length of trains able to use the station will increase by two carriages, which translates to around 120 additional seats per service. This will reduce overcrowding and the need for standing on services.

Enhancing the wider rail network

The station’s ability to accommodate longer trains will increase passenger capacity and support planned growth through broader rail improvements, such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

Reducing delays

Our planned improvements will reduce congestion and conflicting train movements and allow trains to run closer together.

Proposals to increase signalling capacity will allow trains to wait for a clear platform outside of Manchester Oxford Road rather than being ‘held’ at Deansgate.

More frequent services

Improving the track and signalling layout within the station will increase operational flexibility, improving the reliability of services across the regional network and supporting an increase from 12 to 14 trains per hour in off-peak periods.

Accessibility

The plans will provide more accessible routes within the station building, improving passenger flows and providing step free access to all platforms. This will help to ensure more passengers can access services.

Find out more

The first round of consultation has closed. You can still review all the consultation materials online. Please note that no further feedback is being accepted until the next round of consultation opens later in the year.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please call our dedicated 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or visit our contact us page.