OPERATOR CONSTERNATION AT UNCERTAIN TIMESCALES

Quadrupling abandoned? A view of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway viaduct between Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations on 29 November 2016. Plans for an adjacent double-track viaduct have been put on hold.
Russell Wykes
MODERN RAILWAYS understand that the four-tracking of much of the route between Manchester’s Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations and construction of two additional through platforms at Piccadilly may not now go ahead. It is thought that the work will at best be further delayed or may already have been cancelled. The additional capacity was thought to be vital once additional services are running via the Ordsall Chord over a section that is already struggling to meet demands for capacity.