Manchester Airport railway station

Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport Railway Station
Location
Place	Ringway
Local authority	Manchester
Operations
Station code	MIA
Managed by	First TransPennine Express
Number of platforms	3
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	1.576 million
2005/06 *	1.799 million
2006/07 *	1.960 million
2007/08 *	2.159 million
2008/09 *	2.710 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Greater Manchester
History
May 1993	Opened
2004	Refurbished
2008	Third platform added
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 Airport from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Manchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.

Description

The station is situated 9+³⁄₄ miles (16 km) south of Manchester Piccadilly at the end of a short branch from the Styal Line. It is accessed via a triangular junction located between Heald Green and Styal.

The station platforms are connected by escalator, elevator, ramps and an elevated covered walkway (known as the "Sky Link") to the airport terminal buildings in which a manned railway ticket office is situated. Throughout the airport complex, the railway station is known as "The Station" and is signposted as such.

In December 2008 a third rail platform opened after a year of construction and a total cost of £15 million. It will allow for extra rail capacity and increasing passenger demand. Arriva Trains Wales are planning to extend some of their Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly services to here.^[1]

Unlike most major stations there are no ticket barriers but staff usually check your ticket before you enter the platforms.^{[citation needed]}

Services

First TransPennine Express Class 185 on platform 2 (was 1a) arriving from Manchester Piccadilly

Northern Rail, First TransPennine Express and Arriva Trains Wales are the three current franchise holders that serve Manchester Airport. They operate services between the airport and Crewe (for connections to Southern England); Manchester Piccadilly; various destinations throughout Northern England and, since December 2007, to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Carlisle.

There is a frequent service from the airport to Manchester Piccadilly. Services also operate during the night to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond including York; Doncaster; Sheffield; Scotland and Blackpool North.

There are currently nine trains per hour to Manchester Piccadilly. There are no long distance services to the airport from the south; a service from Manchester Airport to Skegness via Derby previously operated but was cut back to Crewe due to poor passenger numbers.^[2]

Plans were drawn up in the 1990s for a direct western rail link to the airport, achieved by linking the Chester to Hale line to the Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport line.^[3] However, these plans failed to materialise. There are also 3 trains per day to Chester via Warrington Bank Quay (of which one continues to Llandudno, operated by Arriva Trains Wales).

Future

Two Class 185 trains in the platforms

Manchester Airport
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink extension plans
Location
Place	Wythenshawe
Local authority	City of Manchester
Fare zone information
Metrolink Zone
Present status	Proposed station
History
Opening	2016
Manchester Airport Line to Piccadilly and Bury Chorlton St Werburgh's Road to East Didsbury Barlow Moor Road Sale Water Park Northern Moor Wythenshawe Park Moor Road Baguley Roundthorn Haveley Benchill Crossacres Wythenshawe Town Centre Robinswood Road Peel Hall Shadowmoss Woodhouse Park Manchester Airport
UK Trams portal

It is planned to extend the Manchester Metrolink light rail network to Manchester Airport as part of Phase 3 of the Metrolink expansion project. Under current proposals, a branch of the Metrolink South Manchester line would connect the airport station via tram lines through Wythenshawe and Chorlton to Manchester City Centre.^[4] A new Metrolink station would be constructed immediately adjacent to the airport station.^[5]

Following a period of uncertainty due to funding problems, the plans were finally given the go-ahead in May 2009. The confirmed route will not complete the full airport loop as proposed, but trams will run along the northern route via Wythenshawe. Completion of the western side of the loop would be subject to further funding in a later project.^[6][7] An opening date of 2016 has been indicated for the Metrolink line.^[8]

At present, the Metrolink byelaws prohibit passengers from entering the system with bicycles and luggage.^[9]

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Train services to be cut". BBC News. 17 February 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2663117.stm. 
3. ^ http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D035FEC9-BC3B-4150-BBCA-ED10AA3FE04F/0/airports.doc
4. ^ "Metrolink Future Network". GMPTE. 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/travel/images/metrolink_map_2006.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-28.  - map of the proposed network expansion
5. ^ "Metrolink Network - proposed South Manchester & Manchester Airport extension (map)". GMPTE. 2005. http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/3156/metrolinksouthmanchestermanche.jpg. Retrieved 2009-05-21. 
6. ^ "Metrolink: back on track?". BBC Manchester. 2009-05-13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/05/13/130509_metrolink_map_plan_b_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
7. ^ Linton, Deborah (2009-05-13). "£1.4bn transport deal unveiled". Manchester Evening News. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1115242_14bn_transport_deal_unveiled. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
8. ^ "Future Extensions". Manchester Metrolink. GMPTE. http://www.metrolink.co.uk/futuremetrolink/future-extensions.asp. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
9. ^ "The Greater Manchester Metrolink System Byelaws". Metrolink. http://www.metrolink.co.uk/pdf/Byelaws.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-13. 

External links

• Train times and station information for Manchester Airport railway station from National Rail
• First TransPennine Express Official web site

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Terminus		First TransPennine Express North TransPennine		Manchester Piccadilly
		First TransPennine Express TransPennine North West		Heald Green
		First TransPennine Express South TransPennine
		Northern Rail Manchester Airport-Southport		Manchester Piccadilly
		Arriva Trains Wales Chester-Manchester Line Limited Service		Manchester Piccadilly
Styal		Northern Rail Styal Line		Heald Green
Preceding station		Manchester Metrolink		Following station
		Under Construction
Terminus		Manchester Airport Line		Shadowmoss towards Chorlton

Coordinates: 53°21′54″N 2°16′23″W / 53.365°N 2.27306°W / 53.365; -2.27306