City centre railway station to shut for £10m revamp

Rail passengers have been warned to plan ahead before a city centre railway station shuts for two months for a £10m upgrade.

Salford Central will close in February until April next year for a new ticket office, accessible toilets and improved platform ramps to be built.

The project by Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) and Network Rail will overlap with work to add a third platform at Salford Crescent station, meaning the city will be without rail services for several weekends in 2025.

Chris Coleman of Network Rail said transport bosses were "sorry for this disruption, and grateful for the patience of the Salford community while these important upgrades take place".

No trains will stop at Salford Central during the closure from 10 February to 21 April, with the station also planned to shut again on 27 April and 4 May.

Passengers affected by the closures will be able to use tickets on Bee Network buses between Salford Crescent, Salford Central, and other city centre stations.

The £10m upgrade will bring "much-needed" improvements, including making Salford's biggest railway station more accessible, a TFGM spokesman said.

The project will start in January ahead of the closures, with workers to install inclusive passenger information boards like braille maps, customer information points, and Bee Network signs.

Nathaniel Yates, rail accessibility activist, said these improvements were a "welcome step forward" as there was still a "long way to go to improve access at train stations".

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected] and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.