Railway upgrades in Salford
We’re building an additional platform at Salford Crescent station, and working with Transport for Greater Manchester to upgrade Salford Central
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Project timeline
Work at both stations starts in 2025. At Salford Crescent, the third platform will be open in 2026.
What work is taking place?
We’re building a new extra platform at Salford Crescent, which will improve passenger flow and reduce train delays. This will allow more flexibility for trains travelling through central Manchester and across the country.
We’re working with Transport for Greater Manchester to upgrade Salford Central station.
This work will deliver a new customer ticket office and modernisation of the station building. It will also see a covered walkway added from the lifts to the platforms and more accessible toilets built.
The station will include new customer information points. There will also be signage for passengers to join up with the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s vision for an integrated public transport system.
So the work can be carried out safely and as quickly as possible, the station will be closed from 10 February 2025– 21 April 2025.
When is the working taking place?
Passengers will notice us at Salford Crescent station from December 2024. The main work begins in March 2025.
Work at Salford Central begins in February 2025.
How will this work affect me?
To carry out the work, Salford Crescent station will close for several weekends between March and September 2025. The work will be complete in early 2026.
Salford Central will be closed from Monday 10 February to Monday 21 April 2025 as part of major engineering works at the station.
There will be no rail services across Salford on several weekends throughout 2025:
March 2025
- Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 March
- Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 March
- Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 March
April 2025
- Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 April
- Sunday 20 April
- Sunday 17 April
May 2025
- Sunday 4 May
- Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 May
September 2025
- Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 September
We’re working with Northern and TfGM to make sure people in Salford can travel as conveniently as possible during the work.
University Road West, near Salford Crescent station, will be closed during the project to allow the team to safely carry out the work.
Between 2 – 20 December 2024, there will be a temporary partial closure of one lane. A traffic light system will be in place to manage vehicle flow during that time.
From 6 January 2025, a section of University Road West will be closed for around 12 months. There will be a diversionary route in place to minimise local disruption and access to properties will be open at all times.
Why is the work needed?
Salford Crescent station is on the busy Manchester to Preston line. Services call from across the North West into Manchester and Manchester Airport.
In 2022/23 the station handled almost 1.2 million entries and exits, making it one of the busiest stations in Greater Manchester.
The platform will give signallers more options to ease “traffic jams” through the station. As well as through the busy central Manchester rail network.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or need assistance with a specific issue, please contact Network Rail’s helpline on 0345 711 4141 or online at www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/contact-us.
Our community relations team will log your request with the project team, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
We’ve also introduced a new, digital lineside notification service, which can keep you informed of railway work happening nearby. To sign up, visit www.networkrail.co.uk/sign-up.