Manchester Interchange
National Rail Manchester Metrolink
Location of the proposed station
General information
LocationDavenport Green, Trafford
England
Coordinates53°22′15″N 2°17′39″W / 53.3708°N 2.2941°W / 53.3708; -2.2941
Transit authorityTransport for Greater Manchester
Platforms4
Other information
ClassificationDfT category TBC

Manchester Airport High Speed Station[1] was a planned High Speed 2 station at Manchester Airport, on the southern boundary of Manchester, England, next to Junction 5 of the M56 motorway on the northern side of the airport 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Manchester Airport railway station.[2]

Proposal

Manchester Airport is the busiest airport in the UK outside London and offers more destinations than any other British airport. An airport station was recommended by local authorities during the consultation stage.[3][4] The government agreed in January 2013 for an airport station, but only on the basis that private investment was involved, such as funding from the Manchester Airports Group to build the station. The government approved the scheme in November 2016.[5][6]

In 2020, revised plans were released that saw the number of platforms increased from two to four.[7]

The proposed new station was officially abandoned when the United Kingdom government under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the cancellation of the Manchester leg of High Speed 2 on 4 October 2023. [8]

Had the station been built, journey times from London Euston to Manchester Airport would have been estimated at between 59 minutes and 63 minutes.[9][10] Additionally, the high speed service would have been less than 10 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly to the airport – down from 15 minutes at present on the congested Styal Line which is used by a mix of commuter, express and freight services and susceptible to delays. However, the proposed station is not actually at the airport. Passengers would be required to use a shuttle bus to get to the station from the airport, so air passengers wishing to reach Manchester on arrival at the airport would be better served by the existing train service from the station in the airport.

Metrolink tram stop

Manchester Interchange
Metrolink station
General information
LocationDavenport Green, Trafford
England
Coordinates53°22′15″N 2°17′39″W / 53.3708°N 2.2941°W / 53.3708; -2.2941
Other information
StatusProposed station
Location
Map

Before the High Speed 2 station was cancelled, extant proposals did not detail passenger interchange facilities, but indicated that various options were being considered to integrate the station with existing transport networks, including extending the Manchester Metrolink tram line to serve the HS2 station directly.[11][12]

Transport for Greater Manchester had proposed that the Metrolink Airport Line — which currently terminates at Manchester Airport station — be extended via a new "western loop" around Wythenshawe. This proposed tram line which would cross the M56 motorway via the Thorley Lane Bridge, with an HS2 interchange stop at Davenport Green, before looping around via Wythenshawe Hospital. Local politicians have begun lobbying central government for political support for this extension scheme, which is currently unfunded.[13]

Revised proposals published in 2020 include provision for an east-west tram line that serves this station.[7]

Services

Service proposals prior to cancellation would have seen five trains per hour north to Manchester Piccadilly, three trains per hour south to Old Oak Common and London Euston (one service additionally calls at Birmingham Interchange), and two trains south to Birmingham Curzon Street. The station was also planned to be an intermediate stop on the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail line.

Future services
Birmingham Curzon Street or Birmingham Interchange or Old Oak Common   Avanti West Coast
High Speed 2 		  Manchester Piccadilly
Warrington Bank Quay   TBA
Northern Powerhouse Rail 		  Manchester Piccadilly
Preceding station Manchester Metrolink Following station
Davenport Green
towards Cornbrook
 Manchester Airport Line
(proposed)
 Newall Green
towards Roundthorn

References

  1. ^ "Phase 2b Western Leg Information Paper F2: Manchester Airport High Speed Station" (PDF). gov.uk. High Speed Two Limited. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Route section HSM28 plan and profile sheet 5 of 9 – drawing number HS2-MSG-MA0-ZZ-DR-RT-52805" (PDF). HS2 phase two initial preferred route plan and profile maps. DfT. January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Council chiefs lobby ministers for TWO high speed rail stations". Manchester Evening News. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Manchester Airport may be high-speed rail network hub". Manchester Evening News. 13 March 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  5. ^ "HS2: North West and Yorkshire routes confirmed". BBC News. 15 November 2016.
  6. ^ "High Speed Two: From Crewe to Manchester, the West Midlands to Leeds and beyond" (PDF). DfT. November 2016.
  7. ^ a b "HS2 Ltd Launches Public Consultation on Proposed Changes to Phase 2b". Railway-News. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  8. ^ "LIVE: HS2 Manchester link cancelled by Rishi Sunak - updates and reaction". 4 October 2023.
  9. ^ "High Speed Two Phase 2b Strategic Outline Business Case Economic Case" (PDF). p. 32.
  10. ^ Arnett, George (17 March 2014). "How will HS2 change journey times to and from London?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Manchester Airport High Speed Station" (PDF). UK Government website. High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  12. ^ Department for Transport (2013). High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future – Phase Two, the Route to Leeds, Manchester and Beyond. The Stationery Office. p. 38. ISBN 9780101850827. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Wythenshawe 'western loop' Metrolink tram line to be proposed". BBC News. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2015.

External links

Rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom
Categories