Manchester Victoria station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Manchester Victoria | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Manchester City Centre | ||
| Local authority | City of Manchester | ||
| Operations | |||
| Station code | MCV | ||
| Managed by | Northern Rail | ||
| Platforms in use | 6 | ||
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |||
| Annual Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 ** | 0.467 million | ||
| Passenger Transport Executive | |||
| PTE | Greater Manchester | ||
| Zone | City (D) | ||
| History | |||
| circa 1844 1902 1996 |
Opened Extended Repaired |
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| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Manchester Victoria. | |||
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Manchester Victoria station is the second of Manchester's mainline railway stations. It is also a major Metrolink station. Virgin Trains occasionally use the station for West Coast Main Line and Cross Country services during enginering works. It is located to the north of the city centre on Hunts Bank, virtually adjacent to Manchester Cathedral.
The station serves destinations north and east of Manchester and some trains to Liverpool (on the original Manchester to Liverpool line), it is the main terminus for the adjacent Manchester Evening News Arena, which was effectively joined onto the original station between 1992 and 1996 by means of a "raft" above the through rail platforms - the principal access to the MEN Arena is via stairs on hunts bank although there is another entrance from the main station concourse. The line from Bury was converted to light rail operation in the early 1990s when the Metrolink tram system was created, and the trams switch to on-street running once they emerge from the side wall of Victoria Station. Current plans for Phase 3 of Metrolink involve the conversion of the rail routes from Victoria to Rochdale via Oldham, to light rail, though funding for conversion was withdrawn by the Government. The station is one of eight Metrolink Stations that are within the City-Zone.
[edit] History
Originally it was a small single storey single platform building designed by George Stephenson and completed in 1844 to serve the Manchester and Leeds Railway. By this time there were six railways connecting Manchester to the cities of London, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield. Victoria Station came to dominate the Long Millgate area and was one of the biggest passenger stations in Britain.
In 1842, work started to extend the Liverpool and Manchester Railway line from Victoria station to Ordsall Lane and the extension opened on 4 May 1844.
Victoria was enlarged by William Dawes, who is responsible for most of the remaining facade, in 1909. It eventually boasted 17 platforms. Wealthy commuters travelled here from Blackpool and Southport rather faster than is possible today (eg 45 minutes from Southport in 1910, 67 today and 65 from Blackpool in 1910, 77 today) in specially-constructed club cars. These non-stop services were abandoned in the early 1960s.
The present Edwardian building has a 160 yard facade, which still carries an iron and glass canopy bearing the names of the original destinations which it served, and a tile map depicting the routes of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway which operated from the station until 1923. These canopies served as covered waiting porch for taxi cabs until they were severely damaged in the Provisional IRA 1996 bombing - they have now been completely restored to their former glory. The cast iron train sheds behind the facade run back for some 700 yards. Initially the station was approached by a wooden footbridge over the River Irk which has subsequently disappeared beneath culverting alongside the Cathedral, where it makes its way un-noticed into the River Irwell.
Victoria Station originally had Manchester Exchange Station as a close neighbour and a single passenger platform ran between them; this was the longest passenger platform in Europe at 2,194 feet (669m). Exchange Station was closed in 1969 and its site opposite the cathedral is now a car park.
 Victoria |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| Place | Manchester City Centre |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Fare zone information | |
| Metrolink Zone | D (City) |
| Metrolink since | 1992-06-04 |
| Manchester Metrolink | |
[edit] Facilities
The station includes a barber's shop, newsagents, coffee bars and buffet. Network Rail aims to rent out the offices on the first and second floors of the station to businesses.
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Manchester Victoria station from National Rail
- Tram times and station information for Manchester Victoria station from Manchester Metrolink
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- Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Map
- Street map from Multimap or GlobalGuide
- Aerial image from TerraServer
| Previous station | Manchester Metrolink | Next station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
toward Bury
|
Bury-Altrincham line |
toward Altrincham or Piccadilly
|
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| National Rail | ||||
| Newton-le-Willows | TransPennine Express North TransPennine |
Stalybridge | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail Caldervale Line |
Moston | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail Huddersfield Line |
Ashton-under-Lyne | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail Oldham Loop Line |
Moston or Dean Lane |
||
| Salford Central | Northern Rail Manchester-Preston Line |
Terminus | ||
| Salford Central | Northern Rail Ribble Valley Line |
Terminus | ||
| Salford Central | Northern Rail Manchester-Southport Line |
Terminus | ||
| Salford Central | Northern Rail Manchester-Kirkby Line |
Terminus | ||
| Eccles | Northern Rail Manchester-Liverpool Line |
Terminus | ||
| Major UK railway stations |
|---|
| Managed by Network Rail: Birmingham New Street • Edinburgh Waverley • Gatwick Airport • Glasgow Central • Leeds City • Liverpool Lime Street • Manchester Piccadilly |
| Managed by train operator: Aberdeen • Belfast Central • Birmingham Snow Hill • Brighton • Bristol Temple Meads • Cardiff Central • Crewe • Derby • Doncaster • Dundee • Glasgow Queen Street • Hull • Manchester Victoria • Newcastle • Nottingham • Reading • Sheffield • York |
| Railway stations of London: Central area | Greater London |
| Managed by Network Rail: Cannon Street • Charing Cross • Euston • Fenchurch Street • King's Cross • Liverpool Street • London Bridge • Paddington • Victoria • Waterloo |
| Managed by train operator: Blackfriars • Marylebone • Moorgate • St Pancras |
