Railway upgrades in Salford

We’re building an additional platform at Salford Crescent station, and worked with Transport for Greater Manchester to upgrade Salford Central

Project timeline

Work at both stations started in early 2025. At Salford Central, we completed upgrade work in October 2025. At Salford Crescent, the third platform will be open in 2026.

What work is taking place?

Salford Crescent

We’re building a new extra platform at Salford Crescent, which will improve passenger flow and reduce train delays. This will allow more flexibility for trains travelling through central Manchester and across the country.

We’ll also install a new exit ticket gate line, which will improve passenger flow.

Salford Central

We worked with Transport for Greater Manchester to upgrade Salford Central station.

Following on from the upgrades to the platforms, a new roof has been built on the upper level of the Salford Central station building. A canopy extension has been installed on Platform 1, and Platform 2 has been substantially widened. A glazed ramp roof has been installed to improve accessibility for disabled people, those carrying heavy luggage, and parents or carers with buggies and pushchairs to access the lift.

We also modernised the station building, installed new accessible toilets and improved the ramps to the platform. A new ticket office, built on the lower level of the station, was also opened.

These upgrades were part of a £10m overhaul at the station to boost accessibility and improve the passenger experience.

When is the work taking place?

Salford Crescent

We arrived on site over Christmas 2024 and the work began in March 2025. We will complete construction of the third platform in January 2026 and the lift to access the third platform in May 2026.

Once construction work is completed, the third platform and new gate line will enter into service and open to the public in Autumn 2026.

Trains will start to make scheduled stops at Salford Crescent’s third platform following the December 2026 National Rail timetable change.

Salford Central

Work at Salford Central began in January 2025 and was completed in October 2025.

How will this work affect me?

Rail closures

To carry out the work, Salford Crescent station was closed for several weekends between March and September 2025. No further rail closures are required, and the work will be completed in 2026.

Road closures

A section of University Road West, near Salford Crescent station, will be closed during the project to allow the team to safely carry out the work.

The road was closed in January 2025 and will remain closed until February 2026. There will be a diversionary route in place to minimise local disruption and access to properties will be open at all times.

Why is the work needed?

Salford Crescent station is on the busy Manchester to Preston line. Services call from across the North West into Manchester and Manchester Airport.

In 2022/23 the station handled almost 1.2 million entries and exits, making it one of the busiest stations in Greater Manchester.

The platform will give signallers more options to ease “traffic jams” through the station. As well as through the busy central Manchester rail network.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or need assistance with a specific issue, please contact Network Rail’s helpline on 0345 711 4141 or online at www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/contact-us.

Our community relations team will log your request with the project team, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

We’ve also introduced a new, digital lineside notification service, which can keep you informed of railway work happening nearby. To sign up, visit www.networkrail.co.uk/sign-up.