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.
When does the UK’s fourth heatwave of the year hit Greater Manchester?
Danny Jones
Brace yourselves: ANOTHER heatwave is set to hit the UK – the fourth in 2026 so far – and, understandably, Greater Manchester residents are already preparing for the latest blast of hot weather and wondering when it gets here.
Yes, in case you missed the news, more high temperatures are set to spread across Great Britain and Ireland this month and heading into August.
The increase will gradually build throughout this week, with Wednesday tipped to be the hottest day according to various meteorological sources.
Fortunately for us here in the North West, parts of the Midlands and the usual suspects down south are set to hit the highest numbers, but the thermometers are still on course to reach around the mid-20s over the coming days.
Temperatures are set to rise this week across some areas, bringing a return to hotter conditions 🥵
The heat looks to be fairly short-lived, however, with temperatures expected to fall again towards the end of the week 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/IKsunEdwhU
Estimates of 26°C have been predicted for this coming Tuesday, with the levels floating in and around 24/25 on the following Wednesday.
The heat is then due to drop off slowly, with top scores of no higher than 21°C on the cards for Thursday and Friday. Although the weekend forecast is less certain at present, one thing that has been announced is reduced rainfall.
Aside from a few more trickles today (Mon, 27 July), the showers or lack thereof cease rather soon, with some of the driest parts of the country already having various effects; for instance, parched parts of Wales have even revealed lost archaeological sites last Friday (24/7/2026).
It would be remiss if we didn’t mention the obvious moorland fires across our region, which were sadly exacerbated by hot weather earlier this month.
Following on from the hottest June on record, the Dovestone and Tinwhistle areas of Oldham and parts of Derbyshire saw hundreds of hectares turn into a deeply dangerous blaze for several days.
As per the latest statistics, it’s said that the equivalent of 1,250 football pitches were scorched following the alarming wildfire, which also raised concerns for wildlife and surrounding air quality.
Former US President Barack Obama is coming to Manchester for a special ‘Evening With’ event
Danny Jones
No, not a prank: the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, is coming to Manchester on his upcoming UK tour.
Confirming just three domestic dates across Great Britain and Ireland, the 44th President turned successful global speaker has delivered talks all over the world, and now he’ll be coming to the Co-op Live arena.
We always knew the industry-leading events space was going to lead to some big names, but no one was expecting this one.
Set to deliver his first-ever ‘An Evening With’ here in Greater Manchester, Barack Obama will be coming to the Co-op later this year.
Officially announcing the live show in line with a key American date, Obama will be making his first-ever visit to our city.
The Co-op Live post reads: “As America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, President Barack Obama joins us in Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester to discuss what comes next – for America, and for all of us.”
More than two and a half centuries on from the start of the nation becoming the United States, the series of intimate interviews comes alongside a significant anniversary for both countries.
Always praised for being a talented orator, the 64-year-old ex-Commander in Chief has found a fruitful second career on the so-called ‘keynote circuit’ following his time as POTUS.
Having served two consecutive terms in the post, it feels undeniably surreal to hear that he will be coming to visit, especially amid the obvious recent development of our very own Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, having now become the 59th British PM.
As for Obama, it’s no surprise that he booked the biggest venue possible for his debut talk in 0161.
Presented by SeatUnique, who specialise in affordable but premium hospitality seats/tickets for live entertainment, it goes without saying that this is an unprecedented moment for the venue, specifically.
Set to arrive on 15 October, tickets go live from 10am at the end of this month, with official Co-op members pre-sale passes available from the same time on Wednesday, 29 July.
You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Manchester is an international city and its popularity is growing rapidly. Barack Obama, former US President is reportedly coming to Manchester this October. pic.twitter.com/9twbfaIWbI
Emily Sergeant -
18th October 2022 
