HS2 | Manchester station alterations tabled in revamped plan for the North

Design changes to High Speed 2’s (HS2) proposed stations at Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly have been revealed as part of a revised plan for the northern section of the route.The station changes are part of design refinements for the Western Leg of Phase 2b between Crewe and Manchester, outlined by transport minister Andrew Stephenson in consultation documents.The government is consulting on four proposed refinements to the design of the route, including:The addition of Crewe Northern Connection and changes to the design of Crewe North Rolling Stock DepotChanges to the design of Manchester Airport High Speed stationChanges to the design around Manchester Piccadilly High Speed stationThe introduction of a new train stabling facility at Annandale, in Dumfries and GallowayChanges in Manchester include proposals to boost capacity by doubling the number of platforms at the Airport station from two to four and increasing the number at Piccadilly from four to six. (See table below for further details relating to proposed alterations.)In addition, an extra northern service from Crewe could see five to seven HS2 trains per hour calling at the station, facilitating connections to NPR and bringing the vision of a Crewe Hub a step closer.The design changes reflect recommendations made in the government-ordered Oakervee Review, which called for better integration between HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.The outcome of the consultation will also inform the development of the hybrid bill for HS2’s Western Leg before it’s introduced in parliament in early 2022.The consultation comes just weeks after the formal start of main construction on Phase 1 of the high speed line from London to the Midlands.