Manchester Piccadilly station would change out of all recognition under a dramatic high-level vision being put forward to ministers. A vast expansion costing up to £1.6 billion would see high-speed trains pick up passengers in space currently closed to the public beneath the station, while a ‘Grand Arcade’ to rival Kings Cross-St Pancras would link the current footprint with new HS2 platforms.
The radical proposals are contained within a background paper drawn up by Arup, a consultancy hired by the National Infrastructure Commission to help it compile recommendations for George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the future of northern transport.
Arup’s evaluation of two slightly different versions put the cost at either around £1.2 billion or around £1.6 billion, which would include new tunnelling to run high speed trains into Manchester and out to Leeds underneath the city.
The project is envisaged to be complete within the next decade.
Ultimately HS2 is not expected to reach Manchester until 2032 at the earliest, with final routes to be decided by the government in the autumn.
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