A former rail boss has spoken out against scrapping plans to build two new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly. The plans for platforms 15 and 16 date back more than a decade and have been waiting to be signed off since 2015.
But last month, as the government announced £72m of investment in Greater Manchester's stations, rail bosses pulled the plans, which had been estimated to cost up to £800m. Network Rail boss Tim Shoveller revealed that other plans will be prioritised – including replacing the four platforms at Oxford Road station with three longer ones.
Meeting rail minister Huw Merriman at Manchester Victoria two weeks ago, local leaders demanded an urgent long-term plan to unclog the North of England's railways. It comes more than a decade after platforms 15 and 16 were first put forward as a solution to congestion on the Castlefield corridor.
