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All trains at Manchester Piccadilly to be cancelled on Sunday due to ‘roof repairs’

Rail replacement services will be in place instead.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 11th January 2023

All trains to and from Manchester Piccadilly are to be cancelled this Sunday so “essential roof repairs” can be carried out.

After what has been weeks of significant disruption on rail networks across Greater Manchester and the North West due to thousands of workers striking over the festive season, Network Rail is now warning passengers of a full station closure at Manchester Piccadilly this weekend.

This is so specialist teams can carry out “essential repairs” to the roof.

As the 25,000-volt overhead lines which usually power trains need to be switched off for engineers to work at height, this means that no trains will be running in and out of the the city‘s main station on Sunday 15 January.

Network Rail says engineers are continuing strengthening work to the Victorian-built train shed’s gable end – which began over the Christmas period.

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“We’ve been carrying out a lot of essential work to improve Manchester Piccadilly station over Christmas and New Year, and this weekend the teams are coming back to complete the second phase of roof maintenance,” said Kara Wood, Network Rail’s North West head of performance and customer relationship.

“Because we have to turn the power lines off to safely carry out the structural work it means we can’t run any trains all day on Sunday.”

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Rail replacement buses will instead be operation this Sunday to “keep people on the move”.

Manchester Piccadilly’s station concourse and retail units will stay open, Network Rail has confirmed, but passengers will be directed to the buses on Station Approach to complete their journeys, so people are being advised to allow extra time, and check the National Rail website or with their individual train operator, before they travel.

Manchester Piccadilly / Credit: Network Rail

Network Rail says it’s keen to “thank passengers in advance for their patience” while rail replacement buses are in place.

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Further railway upgrades in Greater Manchester are also set to see changes to journeys in the coming weeks.

You can find out more about how this will impact services here.

Featured Image – Network Rail

News

Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.

Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.

A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.

Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.

It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.

Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.

As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.

Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.

The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.

Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.  

Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.

The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.

Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.

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“Help us be a lifeline to organisations on the frontline,” Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity urged in it’s public appeal for donations.

You can help make sure ‘A Bed Every Night’ is a reality for all by donating here.

Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)

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