Manchester Oxford Road railway station
Encyclopedia
Manchester Oxford Road Railway Station is a railway station in the city of Manchester
, England. The station is located at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street
, on an elevated line between Deansgate
and Piccadilly
stations.
It serves the southern part of Manchester city centre
, including the University of Manchester
and Manchester Metropolitan University
, and is on the most-served bus route in Europe. The station has a ticket office, waiting rooms, automatic ticket gates, toilets, a buffet and a newsagent.
It stands on a line from westwards towards Liverpool
, and Blackpool
. Trains in the eastbound direction go beyond Piccadilly to , , and other towns across Northern England
. Notable buildings within close vicinity to the station include the Palace Theatre
, the Cornerhouse
, Palace Hotel
and the 106m 17 New Wakefield Street
which overlooks the station.
(MSJAR). The station was the headquarters of the MSJAR from opening until 1904. Initially it had two platforms and two sidings, with temporary wooden buildings. To allow for extra trains in connection with the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in Trafford
in 1857, extra platforms and sidings were built. In 1874 the station was completely rebuilt. The station then had two bay platforms and three through platforms. Further reconstruction took place during 1903-04. From 1931 it was served by the MSJAR's 1500 VDC electric trains
to Altrincham
.
As the station had become dilapidated by the 1950s, and as part of the electrification and modernisation of the Manchester to London line, it was replaced by the current building in 1960 (architects W. R. Headley, Max Glendinning). This was designed in a distinctive style in concrete and wood with curves bringing to mind the Sydney Opera House
. It is a grade II listed building. From July 1959 the Altrincham electric trains began terminating at Oxford Road in two new bay platforms, still with 1500V DC electrification. The remaining three platforms were electrified at 25 kV AC from Manchester Piccadilly, one of these being a terminus platform. The whole station was reopened on 12 September 1960.
Due to the closure of Manchester Central railway station
in 1969, further rebuilding of Oxford Road station took place with one of the bay platforms being taken out of use and a new through platform being built (platform 1) and the others being renumbered accordingly. The track layout was also changed so that there were now four through platforms and one bay platform. In 1971 the whole station became electrified at 25 kV AC with the re-electrification of the line to Altrincham. From this point, local trains from Altrincham started running through to Piccadilly and on to , and Oxford Road became predominantly a through station, with many fewer trains terminating there.
Use of the station increased from May 1988 with the construction of the Windsor Link
between Deansgate and Salford Crescent
, linking the lines to the north and south of Manchester. This led to further investment in the station, including the installation of computer screens. For years the station's platform buildings were encased in scaffolding (to hold the structure up) and the whole station was in a sorry state: eventually refurbishment was completed in 2004.
In 1992 the station's original raison d'etre as the terminus for Altrincham disappeared with the conversion of the Altrincham line stopping service to light rail operation as part of Manchester Metrolink
. Oxford Road, once served almost entirely by suburban stopping trains, now has many more longer-distance services as well.
First TransPennine Express
Arriva Trains Wales
East Midlands Trains
This is reduced on a Sunday, most services operating hourly. There are various other peak services.
All eastbound trains (those to Hazel Grove, Scarborough, Nottingham, Norwich and Manchester Airport) also call at Manchester Piccadilly.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. The station is located at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street
Wilmslow Road, Manchester
Wilmslow Road is a major thoroughfare in Manchester, England, running from Parrs Wood north into Manchester City Centre. Its name changes to Oxford Road at Whitworth Park, north of Rusholme, and changes again to Oxford Street, when it reaches the city centre.The road runs through the centres of...
, on an elevated line between Deansgate
Deansgate railway station
Deansgate is a railway station in Manchester city centre, England. It is situated approximately west of Manchester Piccadilly in the Castlefield area, at the junction of Deansgate and Whitworth Street West....
and Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
stations.
It serves the southern part of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, including the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
and Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
, and is on the most-served bus route in Europe. The station has a ticket office, waiting rooms, automatic ticket gates, toilets, a buffet and a newsagent.
It stands on a line from westwards towards Liverpool
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
, and Blackpool
Blackpool North railway station
Blackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston....
. Trains in the eastbound direction go beyond Piccadilly to , , and other towns across Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. Notable buildings within close vicinity to the station include the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
, the Cornerhouse
Cornerhouse
Cornerhouse is a centre for cinema and the contemporary visual arts located very close to Oxford Road Station, on Oxford Street in Manchester, England...
, Palace Hotel
Refuge Assurance Building
The Refuge Assurance Building, now the Palace Hotel or Refuge Building, stands at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street in Manchester, England....
and the 106m 17 New Wakefield Street
17 New Wakefield Street
17 New Wakefield Street is a skyscraper apartment building in Manchester, England adjacent to Oxford Road. As of November 2011, the skyscraper is under active construction and is due for completion sometime in 2012...
which overlooks the station.
History
The station opened as Oxford Road on 20 July 1849 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham RailwayManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
(MSJAR). The station was the headquarters of the MSJAR from opening until 1904. Initially it had two platforms and two sidings, with temporary wooden buildings. To allow for extra trains in connection with the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
in 1857, extra platforms and sidings were built. In 1874 the station was completely rebuilt. The station then had two bay platforms and three through platforms. Further reconstruction took place during 1903-04. From 1931 it was served by the MSJAR's 1500 VDC electric trains
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
to Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
.
As the station had become dilapidated by the 1950s, and as part of the electrification and modernisation of the Manchester to London line, it was replaced by the current building in 1960 (architects W. R. Headley, Max Glendinning). This was designed in a distinctive style in concrete and wood with curves bringing to mind the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. It is a grade II listed building. From July 1959 the Altrincham electric trains began terminating at Oxford Road in two new bay platforms, still with 1500V DC electrification. The remaining three platforms were electrified at 25 kV AC from Manchester Piccadilly, one of these being a terminus platform. The whole station was reopened on 12 September 1960.
Due to the closure of Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
in 1969, further rebuilding of Oxford Road station took place with one of the bay platforms being taken out of use and a new through platform being built (platform 1) and the others being renumbered accordingly. The track layout was also changed so that there were now four through platforms and one bay platform. In 1971 the whole station became electrified at 25 kV AC with the re-electrification of the line to Altrincham. From this point, local trains from Altrincham started running through to Piccadilly and on to , and Oxford Road became predominantly a through station, with many fewer trains terminating there.
Use of the station increased from May 1988 with the construction of the Windsor Link
Windsor Link
The Windsor Link is a short but key railway line in central Manchester that connects Salford Crescent and Deansgate stations, opened in 1988. The new link allows services from north west of Manchester to be diverted from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Piccadilly, emphasising the latter's status...
between Deansgate and Salford Crescent
Salford Crescent railway station
Salford Crescent is one of two railway stations in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The other station is Salford Central.The station is west of Manchester Victoria and west of Manchester Piccadilly...
, linking the lines to the north and south of Manchester. This led to further investment in the station, including the installation of computer screens. For years the station's platform buildings were encased in scaffolding (to hold the structure up) and the whole station was in a sorry state: eventually refurbishment was completed in 2004.
In 1992 the station's original raison d'etre as the terminus for Altrincham disappeared with the conversion of the Altrincham line stopping service to light rail operation as part of Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
. Oxford Road, once served almost entirely by suburban stopping trains, now has many more longer-distance services as well.
Service pattern
Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
- 1tph to Hazel GroveHazel Grove railway stationHazel Grove railway station is on the Stockport to Buxton / Sheffield line, serving the village of Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, England. It was built for the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway by the London and North Western Railway and opened on 9 June 1857...
- 1tph to PrestonPreston railway stationPreston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
- 1tph to SouthportSouthport railway stationSouthport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. It is at the end of one of the branches of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and at the end of the Manchester-Southport Line which runs via Wigan...
- 1tph to Liverpool Lime StreetLiverpool Lime Street railway stationLiverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
via Newton-le-WillowsNewton-le-Willows railway stationNewton-le-Willows railway station is a railway station in the town of Newton-le-Willows, in the borough of St Helens in the north-west of England, and at the edge of the Merseytravel region. It is situated on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line, the former Liverpool and... - 2tph to Liverpool Lime StreetLiverpool Lime Street railway stationLiverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
via Warrington CentralWarrington Central railway stationWarrington Central railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line , and is situated around halfway between the two cities... - 2tph to Manchester AirportManchester Airport railway stationManchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
- 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street
- 1tph to ScarboroughScarborough railway stationScarborough railway station serves the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It lies east of York and is one of the eastern termini on the North TransPennine route operated by First TransPennine Express...
- 1tph to Blackpool NorthBlackpool North railway stationBlackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston....
- 1tph to LancasterLancaster railway stationLancaster railway station is a railway station that serves the city of Lancaster in Lancashire, England...
, continuing alternately to Barrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-Furness railway stationBarrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. It is located on the Furness Line to Lancaster and the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington and Carlisle...
and either Glasgow Central or EdinburghEdinburgh Waverley railway stationEdinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being... - 2tph to Manchester AirportManchester Airport railway stationManchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
- 1tph to LlandudnoLlandudno railway stationLlandudno railway station serves the town of Llandudno and is the terminus of a branch line from Llandudno Junction on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. It is managed by Arriva Trains Wales....
or HolyheadHolyhead railway stationHolyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead on Holy Island, Anglesey. It is the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, although Virgin Trains also serves it.... - 1tph to Manchester PiccadillyManchester Piccadilly stationManchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
- 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street
- 1tph to NorwichNorwich railway stationNorwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
This is reduced on a Sunday, most services operating hourly. There are various other peak services.
All eastbound trains (those to Hazel Grove, Scarborough, Nottingham, Norwich and Manchester Airport) also call at Manchester Piccadilly.