'Vital' Manchester rail bridge to receive upgrades

Date: 13/1/2012

A "vital" Manchester rail bridge is to be upgraded.

The crossing that spans London Road is one of the busiest approaches to the city centre and is 160 years old.

It connects Oxford Road train station with the main Piccadilly transport hub and although the original cast iron structure was encased in concrete 50 years ago to make it stronger, this requires maintenance work.

Network Rail explained it is addressing the issue now before water staining and general deterioration become a more pressing issue.

"The work to repair the structure will involve removing the existing concrete where necessary and then applying fresh. At the same time, we'll repair smaller defects," the organisation stated.

Manchester is one of the cities that will be connected to the new high speed rail system HS2, which was announced by Transport Minister Justine Greening earlier this week.

The Y-shaped network will link stations in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and the East Midlands.

Posted by Mary Treen