A £115m programme to increase capacity and improve reliability at Manchester Airport station will begin this winter, with work scheduled to continue until 2028.
Network Rail and contractor Kier will extend platforms 1, 2 and 3, upgrade track layouts on the approach to the station and modernise its signalling systems. The changes are intended to allow more trains and longer services to use the station.
One-day closure planned in December
The first major phase is scheduled for Sunday 6 December 2026, when the station will close for one day while engineers install a utility bridge carrying electrical cables across the railway.
The bridge will enable a structure used by Manchester Airport Group to be removed at Easter 2027. A replacement structure is due to be built later in 2027. The station is expected to reopen on Monday 7 December.
Rail replacement buses will run between Wilmslow and Manchester Airport, with additional staff available to assist passengers. Metrolink services will not be affected. Passengers travelling by rail have been advised to check their journeys and allow extra time.
Network Rail is working with Manchester Airport Group, Transport for Greater Manchester and train operators to manage disruption during the works.
Capacity and reliability
The project forms part of the wider Manchester Rail Upgrade programme, which aims to increase capacity and improve reliability across the North West. Network Rail said the investment would support future passenger growth and strengthen rail connections to the airport.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: “Manchester Airport is a vital transport hub and this £115 million investment from government will deliver more reliable services, increase capacity, and improve connections for the millions of passengers who use the station every year.”
Simon Daly, Network Rail senior sponsor, said the work would “create more capacity for passengers, allow longer trains to serve the station and improve the reliability of services for years to come”.
Chris Nutton, TransPennine Express major projects and TRU director, said the upgrade would bring “long-term benefits for everyone who travels through the station”, while urging passengers to check their journeys during the works.