Rail experts say train drivers will have to 'sprint' the 200m length of a train in order to leave the station on time if services are forced into a cut-price surface turnback HS2 hub at Manchester Piccadilly. The Government’s plan for an above-ground terminus next to the existing station, with no platforms running through, means trains will have to turn around to depart.
This might work for HS2 services between London, the Midlands and Manchester. But when east-west links between Manchester and other northern cities including Leeds are added to the timetable, industry experts say the proposed ‘short-sighted’ design means time and space will be so tight that drivers will have to ‘dash’ the equivalent of half an Olympic track to get passengers away on time.
It’s one of a number of issues identified, by leaders across the north and industry experts more widely, with building a surface terminus as opposed to an underground through station at Piccadilly.
