Easter rail travel advice

Manchester Victoria station platform 1 & 2

Rail passengers are being encouraged to plan their journeys and allow more time to travel over the Easter period ahead of works to significantly improve links across the north of England.

The Ordsall Chord works – part of over £1bn of railway improvements by Network Rail in the north – mean that Manchester Victoria and Salford Central stations will close between Thursday 24 March and Sunday 3 April, reopening Monday 4 April.

Trains will still run to other stations within the city and replacement buses will be running throughout the closures. Metrolink services at the Victoria stop will not be affected by these works and passengers will still be able to access the stop as normal.

Track replacement work taking place between Saturday and Sunday will also result in changes to services between Manchester Piccadilly and New Mills Central and services between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield. Further information regarding diversions and replacement bus services can be found here.

The Easter period will see a number of family, sporting and other events taking place throughout the region and people are encouraged to plan their journeys before they travel.

On Sunday, improvement works mean there will be no trams operating between the Queens Road and Bury Metrolink stops. Replacement buses will be provided. Manchester United’s Premier League fixture against Everton at Old Trafford will kick off at 4pm that day.

The Ordsall Chord is a key part of Network Rail’s investment in the North of England, helping to bring faster, more frequent, more reliable train services in future. It will create a piece of railway history by linking both Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time as well as reducing congestion on the railway.