Manchester Victoria station

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Manchester Victoria
Image:Victoria Station, Manchester.jpg
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
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 passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Manchester Victoria (source)   * 2002/03 Disclaimer  ** 2004/05 Disclaimer
Image:Portal.svg UK Rail Portal

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conversion of the rail routes from Victoria to Rochdale via Oldham, to light rail, though funding for conversion was withdrawn by the Government.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.

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.

Image:Manchester Metrolink logo small.jpg Victoria
Location
Place	Manchester City Centre
Local authority	Manchester
Fare zone information
Metrolink Zone	D (City)
Metrolink since	1992-06-04
Manchester Metrolink

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.

Wikipedia information about Manchester Victoria station This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Manchester Victoria station". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.