Rail passengers across Greater Manchester can expect a new and improved Salford Central station, as Network Rail gears up to install multi-million pound upgrades in the new year.
The six-month renovation is set to cost the infrastructure owner north of £7m with Salford’s biggest railway station set to get improvements to its platform, roof canopies, railway track, and its signalling system.
As part of the infrastructure overhaul, engineers will raise the station’s platforms to reduce the gap between the ground level and the train doors, meaning ramps will be able to be used to board the Salford trains for the very first time.
Ultimately, this will also make the station accessible for disabled people, passengers with particularly heavy luggage, and parents or carers with buggies and pushchairs.
Joanna Feilding, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “This package of improvements for Salford Central will benefit the thousands of passengers who use the station each year and make it much more accessible.
“Because the work means we must close the station for six months we wanted to make people aware of the improvements to come. I’d like to thank people in advance for their patience and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the new and improved Salford Central station in summer 2023.”
As Feilding alludes to above, in order to complete the renovations, Salford Central will be closed from the 2nd of January 2023 up until the summer – Network Rail describe the works as an “important step” to making rail travel accessible to all in Greater Manchester.
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “Salford Central has been serving the people of Salford and Manchester for 184 years. We welcome this much-needed investment, which will make a real difference to the customer experience and ensure the station can continue to serve the local community for many more generations to come.”