Ordsall Chord rail plan given go-ahead
A NEW viaduct to connect Manchester’s three railway stations has been approved by the Transport Secretary. Patrick McLoughlin.
The £85m Ordsall Chord will link Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria and is a major part of the multi-million pound Northern Hub upgrade for rail services.
Network Rail said it would ease a “rail bottleneck” south of Piccadilly and enable more trains to travel through Manchester city centre. The investment in the new viaduct near Liverpool Road in the city centre will enable an extra two fast trains per hour between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool and Leeds and Manchester, plus a direct service through Manchester city centre to Manchester Airport.
Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The investment going into the railway in the north will bring huge benefits.
“The Northern Hub project will see more trains, faster and better journeys for millions of people and the Ordsall Chord is a vital part of the overall scheme.
“Network Rail welcomes the decision by the Secretary of State. We will now look at the timescales needed to deliver the project and work with our stakeholders and the community so passengers and the economy can benefit from the investment as quickly as possible.”
The green light for the scheme will see the compulsory purchase and demolition of homes close to the route.
It will mean Liverpool Road station at MOSI – the world’s oldest intercity station and the original Manchester terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway – will be cut off.
Chris Mulcahy, office agency director at property adviser JLL in Manchester, welcomed the news.
He said: “This news is another piece of the puzzle in making forthcoming office schemes across the city even more attractive for occupiers, investors and developers. In particular, office schemes such as ECf’s New Bailey and Allied London’s Spinningfields will benefit from the Ordsall Chord. Both are adjacent to Salford Central railway station which will enjoy greater connectivity and capacity. Elsewhere greater capacity into the likes of Piccadilly station will help development activity around Mayfield .
“On a day to day basis the increased capacity that The Ordsall Chord will facilitate will allow more staff to commute into the city. More staff and talent is a factor in attracting more inward investment occupiers. Manchester will undoubtably be seen as even more attractive as a preferred location to occupiers which improves the economic performance of the region as a whole.
“Last year, Manchester secured the largest total volume of take-up of office space among the Big Six regional cities, with a total take up of 1,327,000 sq ft. Major infrastructure improvements will keep the city ahead.”
