Manchester Oxford Road railway station

"Oxford Road railway station" redirects here. For the former halt on the Varsity line, see Oxford Road Halt railway station.

Manchester Oxford Road
The Grade-II listed timber facade of the station
Location
Place	Manchester
Local authority	Manchester
Coordinates	53.4739°N 2.2422°W / 53.4739; -2.2422
Grid reference	SJ840974
Operations
Station code	MCO
Managed by	Northern Rail
Number of platforms	5
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.562 million
2005/06	0.625 million
2006/07	4.331 million
2007/08	1.249 million
2008/09	5.212 million
2009/10	6.650 million
2010/11	7.116 million
2011/12	8.321 million
Passenger Transport Executive
History
Original company	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Pre-grouping	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Post-grouping	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
20 July 1849	Opened
1960	Rebuilt
National Rail – UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Manchester Oxford Road from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
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Legend To Bury To Rochdale Moston To Oldham Bowker Vale Newton Heath Newton Heath and Moston Crumpsall Central Park To Tameside Abraham Moss;Monsall Clayton Bridge Woodlands Road Park Queens Road To Tameside Miles Platting Edge Lane Clayton Oldham Road Velopark Manchester Victoria Holt Town;Etihad Campus Exchange To Salford New Islington Ardwick Exchange Square/Shudehill Ashburys High Street; Manchester Piccadilly Mayfield;To South Manchester Market Street; Piccadilly Gardens To Belle Vue;Gorton Moseley Street;Oxford Road To Hyde Road St Peter's Square To Tameside Manchester Central/Deansgate-Castlefield Deansgate Liverpool Road To Salford;Cornbrook Cornbrook Pomona To Eccles Trafford Bar To Trafford Firswood To Trafford;To Altrincham To Chorlton

Manchester Oxford Road Railway Station is an elevated railway station in the city centre of Manchester, England. It stands at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street. It opened in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1960. Historically a station for local services, the station has undergone re-development in recent years and is now the third busiest station in the Manchester station group.

It serves the southern part of Manchester city centre, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, and is on the most-served bus route in Europe. The station consists of a ticket office, waiting rooms, automatic ticket gates, toilets, a buffet and a newsagent. It stands on a line from Manchester Piccadilly westwards towards Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool. Eastbound trains go beyond Piccadilly to Crewe, Leeds, Sheffield and other towns across Northern England.

The station is famous for its laminated wood structures and was listed in 1995. It is described by English Heritage as a "building of outstanding architectural quality and technological interest; one of the most dramatic stations in England."

History

The station was opened as Oxford Road on 20 July 1849 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR). The station was the headquarters of the MSJAR from opening until 1904. Initially it had two platforms and two sidings, with temporary wooden buildings. To allow for extra trains in connection with the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in Trafford in 1857, extra platforms and sidings were built. In 1874 the station was completely rebuilt. The station then had two bay platforms and three through platforms. Further reconstruction took place during 1903-04. From 1931 it was served by the MSJAR's 1500V DC electric trains to Altrincham.

As the station had become dilapidated by the 1950s, and as part of the electrification and modernisation of the Manchester to London line, it was replaced by the current building in 1960 (architects W. R. Headley and Max Glendinning, structural engineer Hugh Tottenham). This was designed in a distinctive style in concrete and wood with curves bringing to mind the Sydney Opera House. It is a grade II listed building. In Pevsner's Architectural Guide - Manchester the following comments were made:

One of the most interesting and innovative buildings of the period was the product of the public sector...it is the most ambitious example in this country of timber conoid shell roofing.

—Clare Hartwell, Pevsner's Architectural Guide - Manchester, p.36

and

One of the most remarkable and unusual stations in the country both for the architectural form and the technological interest...it is the most dramatic and it is an important example of the deployment of timber to achieve large roof spans incorporating clerestory lighting.

—Clare Hartwell, Pevsner's Architectural Guide - Manchester, p.178

From July 1959 the Altrincham electric trains began terminating at Oxford Road in two new bay platforms, still with 1500V DC electrification. The remaining three platforms were electrified at 25 kV AC from Manchester Piccadilly, one of these being a terminus platform. The whole station was reopened on 12 September 1960.

Due to the closure of Manchester Central railway station in 1969, further rebuilding of Oxford Road station took place: one of the bay platforms was taken out of use and a new through platform built (platform 1), the others being renumbered accordingly. The track layout was also changed so that there were now four through platforms and one bay platform. In 1971 the whole station became electrified at 25 kV AC with the re-electrification of the line to Altrincham. From this point, local trains from Altrincham started running through to Piccadilly and on to Crewe, and Oxford Road became predominantly a through station, with many fewer trains terminating there.

Use of the station increased from May 1988 with the construction of the Windsor Link between Deansgate and Salford Crescent, connecting the lines to the north and south of Manchester. This led to further investment in the station, including the installation of computer screens.

For all the architectural acclaim the buildings received, the station's structure began to deteriorate within ten years. The roof started quickly to leak and for years the station's platform buildings were encased in scaffolding and other metalwork (partially to hold the structure up and also to prevent material falling on the platforms and passengers). The whole station was in a sorry state: eventually partial remedial refurbishment was completed in 2004.

In 1992 the station's original raison d'etre as the terminus for Altrincham disappeared with the conversion of the Altrincham line stopping service to light rail operation as part of Manchester Metrolink. Oxford Road, once served almost entirely by suburban stopping trains, now has many more longer-distance services as well.

Service pattern

Manchester Oxford Road station platforms

• Northern Rail
  • 1tph to Hazel Grove
  • 1tph to Preston
  • 1tph to Southport via Wigan Wallgate
  • 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street via Newton-le-Willows
  • 2tph to Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Central
  • 2tph to Manchester Airport

• First TransPennine Express
  • 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street
  • 1tph to Scarborough
  • 1tph to Blackpool North
  • 1tph to Lancaster, continuing alternately to Barrow-in-Furness and either Glasgow Central or Edinburgh
  • 2tph to Manchester Airport

• Arriva Trains Wales
  • 1tph to Llandudno, Wrexham General or Holyhead (all via Chester)
  • 1tph to Manchester Piccadilly

• East Midlands Trains
  • 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street
  • 1tph to Norwich

This is reduced on a Sunday, most services operating hourly. There are various other peak services. All eastbound trains (those to Hazel Grove, Scarborough, Nottingham, Norwich and Manchester Airport) also call at Manchester Piccadilly.

External links

• Images of England - photograph and details from listed building text

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Manchester Piccadilly		First TransPennine Express North TransPennine		Birchwood
Manchester Piccadilly		First TransPennine Express TransPennine North West		Deansgate
Manchester Piccadilly		East Midlands Trains Liverpool-Norwich		Irlam or Birchwood or Warrington Central
Manchester Piccadilly		Arriva Trains Wales Chester to Manchester Line		Newton-le-Willows
Manchester Piccadilly		Northern Rail Liverpool to Manchester Line		Deansgate
Manchester Piccadilly		Northern Rail Liverpool to Manchester Airport Line		Newton-le-Willows
Manchester Piccadilly		Northern Rail Manchester to Preston Line		Deansgate
Manchester Piccadilly		Northern Rail Stafford-Manchester Line		Deansgate
Manchester Piccadilly		Northern Rail Manchester Airport-Southport		Salford Crescent
	Disused railways
Terminus		BR (London Midland Region) Mid-Cheshire Line		Sale 1969–89 Line closed, station open