Third platform for Salford Crescent as government announce further investment in rail services
Passengers across the north are set to benefit from fewer delays and more reliable trains after the government announced a £72 million package in Manchester today.
The Department for Transport revealed the latest infrastructure upgrades to improve day-to-day journeys for passengers across the region while supporting productivity and economic growth.
The funding will deliver a third platform at Salford Crescent station, that will enable longer trains to stop to meet the growing demand, whilst also providing greater resilience, and reducing platform overcrowding at this key interchange hub in Salford, which currently accommodates an annual footfall of nearly one million passengers.
The investment will benefit local residents, commuters and students using the station and is seen as a step towards providing a ‘fit for the future’ facility as described in the Salford City Council and University of Salford £2.5 billion masterplan for the area, a key growth location referenced in the recently announced Greater Manchester Devolution Trailblazer Agreement.
This latest infrastructure investment has been welcomed by city leaders as a welcome move towards further improvements to rail infrastructure in the city-region.
Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “We’re looking forward to getting into the details of what sits behind today’s announcements and engaging further with Network Rail and Government on the prospect of new train services calling at Salford Crescent. As today's news is a pre-cursor for further investment in rail infrastructure here in Salford and Greater Manchester, we will continue to collaborate with Government, Network Rail, train and freight operators and stakeholders on how wider transport issues will be addressed and the delivery of our 2040 Transport Strategy for Greater Manchester.
“I am pleased that Government recognises the need to invest in improving rail travel for the people, families, businesses and visitors of our rapidly growing city-region and the North more generally. But it is now vital for Salford and Greater Manchester that Government and industry come together with a common purpose to tackle the historic under-investment in public transport infrastructure, transforming our ageing infrastructure, making it accessible and fit for the 21st Century."
Vice Chancellor at the University of Salford Helen Marshall has said the announcement will make a "huge difference to the day-to-day lives of our students and staff" adding it will provide "huge benefits" for the city.
