Salford Central is set to close for nearly five months at the start of 2023 as it’s set to undergo an £7.3 million refurbishment project.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that the busy Salford commuter railway station just on the edge of Manchester city centre will close on 2 January 2023 in order to carry out what is being described as a “significant piece of work”, and it isn’t scheduled to open to the public again until late May.
The refurbishment project will see the heights of platforms one and two at the station – which have previously been branded as “dangerous” for those with mobility issues by Mayor Andy Burnham – raised up, and also see the canopies and coping stones replaced, the MEN reports.
New tactile platform paving and new passenger information equipment will also be installed.
Local councillors have said the upcoming closure is “going to cause a lot of anguish” for rail passengers, but TfGM has assured it will be putting measures in place to minimise disruption as much as possible, and has confirmed that trains will still continue to run through the station during the closure period to maintain a link to Manchester Victoria and beyond, but it will just not stop at Salford Central.
ADVERTISEMENT
TfGM has stressed that bus replacement services will be introduced, and Network Rail – which is leading the refurbishment works – has confirmed it will be meeting with with transport bosses and rail operators, including Northern, to discuss the plans further.
Salford Central is set to close for nearly five months at the start of 2023 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Simon Elliott – Head of Rail Programme at TfGM – said the station is to close so that a number of “essential works” can be carried out.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Salford Central station will have long-awaited station improvements early in the new year.
“Trains will still run through the station not stopping, maintaining service links to and through Manchester Victoria. There will be a number of Sunday possessions that will see service changes across the route in January to March 2023 to facilitate construction works.
“The works will include the replacement of the canopies and coping stones, installation of new platform tactile paving, ducting and drainage, and new passenger information equipment.
ADVERTISEMENT
“TfGM are due to meet with Northern to discuss disruption mitigations.”
The busy commuter station is set to undergo a £7.3 million refurbishment project / Credit: Paul Ashton Architects
Ahead of the upcoming closure, Mr Elliott confirmed that “a quite significant communications campaign” would be introduced in advance to inform passengers of the engineering works and how long they will take to complete.
One of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills to be repurposed into ‘distinctive’ rental homes
Emily Sergeant
A multi-million funding deal has been agreed to repurpose one of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills.
After £55 million plans to reimagine Talbot Mill into a 10-storey apartment block began back in May of last year, social impact developers Capital&Centric have now agreed a £37 million deal with Paragon Bank to finance the restoration of the historic mill and repurpose it into 190 new distinctive properties for rent.
Built in 1855 overlooking the canal, the imposing red-brick mill on Ellesmere Street in the Castlefield neighbourhood was the product of Manchester’s textile boom.
One of the city’s last massive mills to be restored, it was Talbot that spearheaded the rapid transformation of the Cornbrook area from undeveloped land to a powerful industrial hub in the late 19th century, before going on to dominate the local cotton industry in the early 1900s.
It was even used as a mushroom farm in the 1980s, while more recently, it has been the set of a period drama and a massive art exhibition.
But when the restoration is complete, over half the development will be newly-built and will offer residents of the nearly 200 ‘distinctive’ apartments a lush hidden garden, with plenty of green spaces to meet and hang out, while still managing to celebrate the mill’s past and retain loads of original features.
Capital&Centric is developing Talbot Mill as an investment, which it will retain for rent once finished.
This is something the developers have already done successfully on a number of sites in recent years, especially in its lengthy run of restoring Manchester’s iconic listed buildings and mixing the old in with the new.
One of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills will be repurposed into ‘distinctive’ rental homes / Credit: Capital&Centric
“We love to restore and repurpose historic buildings,” explained Tom Wilmot, who is the joint managing director at Capital&Centric.
“But as one of Manchester’s oldest mills, Talbot Mill is something a bit different, so we’re buzzing to be bringing it back to its former glory, [as] it had a huge role to play in the industrial revolution in the city and now it gets to be part of the city’s future.
“We’re retaining as many features as we can, to keep the history of the mill alive and so that our residents can enjoy becoming custodians of the past whilst enjoying all the trappings of modern-day living.”
Featured Image – Capital&Centric
News
Government sets out plans to fix the UK’s ‘broken’ rail system and deliver reliable services
Emily Sergeant
Plans to fix the ‘broken’ rail system across the UK and deliver reliable services for all have been set out by the Government.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is aiming to ‘rewire Britain’s railways’ with the introduction of its landmark bill unveiled by the Government yesterday (18 February), most notably including the setting up of a powerful passenger watchdog to reform Great British Railways (GBR), give passengers a voice, and hold train operators to account.
The creation of the new watchdog is described as being a ‘once in a generation overhaul’.
Its establishment should bring track and train together, end ‘major failures’, and deliver reliable services for passengers, all while catalysing growth across the country, the DfT assures.
The Railways Bill is set to deliver a once in a generation overhaul of Britain's railways.
But what will it actually do, and what does this mean for passengers?
It will also give devolved leaders more of a say on the services that directly impact their towns and cities, and work together to integrate transport, ultimately making it simpler to travel and attracting more people to our railways.
The new independent watchdog will be tasked with ensuring GBR addresses the issues that consistently rank highest in passenger complaints to ensure the public are given clear information when they travel.
Working with the Transport Secretary and GBR, the watchdog will also be given the powers to set clear standards for passengers on things like journey information and assistance, investigate persistent problems, and publish reports on poor service – before referring this to the railway regulator for enforcement action.
The Government has set out plans to fix the UK’s ‘broken’ rail system and deliver reliable services / Credit: Network Rail
A public consultation on the plans has also been launched this week, giving the Government a chance to hear Brits’ views on putting an end to ‘outdated and inefficient processes’ which have resulted in poor performance, timetable chaos, and complex fares and ticketing over the years.
“Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long,” insisted Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on.
“We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services, and boosting the economy in the process.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th October 2022 
