A £72 million funding package that’s set to “improve train services” in Manchester and the North has been unveiled today.
After what can only be described as scenes of continuous travel chaos on trains throughout the Greater Manchester region, and across the North West and beyond over the past few years, with passengers being hit with ongoing strike action, lengthy delays, short-notice cancellations, and skyrocketing ticket prices, the Government has today unveiled a £72 million funding “boost” intended to address this.
The Department for Transport (DfT) says passengers across the North are set to benefit from “fewer delays and more reliable trains” under its new plans.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman revealed the latest of four infrastructure upgrades, which the Government says are aiming to “improve day-to-day journeys for passengers across the region” while supporting “productivity” and “economic growth”, during a presentation at Manchester Victoria Station today.
We’re investing £72 million to improve train journeys across #Manchester and the North.
🏗️Improving rail infrastructure ⏱️More reliable rail services 📈Boosting the local economy
— Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) May 25, 2023
According to the DfT, the £72 million funding will go towards building a third platform at Salford Crescent station, as well as carrying out track improvement works across Manchester to help reduce delays, bottlenecks, and station overcrowding – which meanings passengers will have more “comfortable and reliable” journeys.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Victoria Station is also set to get itself extra entry and exit points to platforms under the funding, which the Government says will make it easier for passengers to travel through the station during busier periods.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper says the work to improve Manchester’s rail infrastructure will “leave a positive impact for generations to come”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester given £72 million ‘boost’ by Government to improve train services / Credit: Network Rail
However, while several new measures have been announced as the £72 million funding boost has been unveiled today, it does appear that this has come at a slight cost to some previously-planned infrastructure improvements.
The DfT has today revealed that Network Rail has withdrawn its previous planning applications for the proposed construction of a platform 15 and 16 at Manchester Piccadilly Station, which was first submitted back in 2014, and has asked its task force to consider “alternative options to better serve passengers”.
They also want plans to support the £26 million that has already been injected into improve services at the city’s main train station, as well as at Manchester Airport and Manchester Oxford Road stations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Piccadilly / Credit: Network Rail
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has also welcomed the funding boost, and called it an “opportunity to change rail journeys for people and businesses” in Greater Manchester and the North “for the better”.
“We will continue working with government and the industry to help shape the comprehensive package of improvements needed to transform rail travel,” Mr Burnham concluded.
Featured Image – Network Rail
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
25th May 2023 
