Station to reopen after first phase of £10m revamp

A city centre railway station will reopen this week after being shut for two months as part of £10m improvement works.

A new roof, wider platforms, ticket office and signage have been installed as part of the first phase of work at Salford Central in Greater Manchester in a bid to boost accessibility.

The station will open to passengers on Wednesday after closing on 10 February for the Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) and Network Rail project.

It was due to reopen on Monday but was postponed to allow Northern to carry out final safety checks before trains could stop there, transport bosses said.

New accessible toilets, more inclusive passenger information displays such as braille maps, and further improvements to platform ramps will also be made in the coming months.

The project will overlap with work to add a third platform at Salford Crescent station, meaning the city will be without some rail services for several weekends in 2025.

Passengers are being advised to plan ahead and will be able to use valid tickets on Bee Network buses between Salford Crescent, Salford Central and key city centre stations, including Manchester Oxford Road, until Salford Central reopens on Wednesday.

Additional closures will be in place at the station on 27 April and 4 May, meaning trains will not stop there on these days, a TFGM spokesperson said.

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 via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.