Road, Rail & Access

[Seasider]

Thank you Scottie Dog, I will have one large (hold) case and my Camera Bag.

 

[Scottie Dog]

Thank you Scottie Dog, I will have one large (hold) case and my Camera Bag.

I would suggest then that you allow an extra 10 minutes to use the lifts at both the station and to get down from the Skylink to ground level in the large lifts.

Better to allow for delay at the big lifts.

Have a good journey whenever you are travelling.

 

[Silvercity]

Black cabs have apparently refused to pick up passengers due to a dispute with airport management and the siting of ranks. #cabdispute #Manchester

 

[coyotes_uk]

The cab rank and pick up area out front of the station is deserted today, I did wonder why!

 

[coyotes_uk]

From our office, can also see the road linking the existing long stay and new (free) drop off car park, from the main roundabout over the M56 spur, Is packed with cars parked along it.Cant imagine it will be long until double yellow lines appear along it!

 

[Aviador]

Removing free pick up and drop off areas is not something knew. Manchester airport is probably one of the last major UK airports to start charging. The problem Manchester airport has is its so much larger than other UK regional airports it makes it difficult for passengers to make use of free alternative parking. When similar charges were introduced at Leeds it created a situation where multiple cars would pick up and drop off anywhere close to the airport. This has been known to cause chaos. Leeds City Council had since insisted on the airport making signage to the free alternative much clearer. The council is now in the process of making roads around the airport red routes. This will mean it will be an offence to pick up or drop off. I'm not sure how they intend to enforce it though.

 

[Silvercity]

Removing free pick up and drop off areas is not something knew. Manchester airport is probably one of the last major UK airports to start charging. The problem Manchester airport has is its so much larger than other UK regional airports it makes it difficult for passengers to make use of free alternative parking. When similar charges were introduced at Leeds it created a situation where multiple cars would pick up and drop off anywhere close to the airport. This has been known to cause chaos. Leeds City Council had since insisted on the airport making signage to the free alternative much clearer. The council is now in the process of making roads around the airport red routes. This will mean it will be an offence to pick up or drop off. I'm not sure how they intend to enforce it though.

Same around Liverpool Airport they are red routes. There is still a free drop off and pick up, but it's further away than the closest drop off area which you need to pay.

 

[marni1971]

Slightly airport related (or please move to somewhere more suitable)

The first part of the new A555 westbound is open, from Styal Rd to Shadowmoss:

 

[Bigman]

I keep reading about lots of issues with capacity on the Manchester Piccadilly to Castlefield Junction, which is invariably linked to the number of trains that apparently ‘need’ to run through there to get to Manchester Airport.

Now then, this is the bit I cannot get my head around.

Heathrow - this is basically served by direct rail services…to London Paddington only. There are no services that come in from say Cardiff or Bristol that reverse at Paddington and then run to Heathrow.

Stansted – basically a shuttle service to Liverpool Street plus an hourly service to the Midlands, so no direct services to most of East Anglia.

So why is it that Manchester ‘has to have’ direct services to places as far away as Glasgow, Newcastle and Edinburgh, which have perfectly functional airports with long-haul offerings? Why don’t they instead reopen and rebuild the old Mayfield Station to provide a connection hub and run a Heathrow/Gatwick type shuttle service to the airport every 15 minutes. You can put a new footbridge over to the main Piccadilly Station which with lifts and escalators would be easily accessible.

You would still have trains coming through Piccadilly from Liverpool, Blackpool, Preston etc, and you could still have terminating trains from Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Scarborough, Newcastle etc.

If changing trains is good enough for Liverpool Street and Paddington, then is should be good enough for Manchester Piccadilly.

 

[mullion]

Totally different market at Manchester as it brings in pax from out of area whch make quite a substantial
market. Using Mayfield would be of no use at all as 1. going to be built on very soon 2. no link to Piccadilly/Victoria/Oxford Road for connections both locally and Liverpool/Leeds/Newcastle/Carlisle etc

 

[EGCC_MAN]

The routing of rail services to Manchester Airport isn't driven by the lure of the airport alone (although that certainly helps). The Manchester gateway rail stations have very limited capacity for terminating trains, and those from the North and West in particular can only access the two through-platforms 13/14 at Piccadilly (not the main station). Those two platforms are a huge bottleneck (Grayling, take note!), so there is a pressing need to shift trains through there as quickly as possible. Despatching them south / east to Manchester Airport or Stockport ASAP is really important operationally, not just because there is passenger demand for direct services. A similar issue afflicts Manchester Victoria, with trains sent on to Ashton/Stalybridge or Rochdale so they don't block the very limited through-platforms there.

Having clarified that, there is more demand from TOC's for access to Manchester Airport Station than can be accommodated. Southport has lost out. North Wales has lost out. Hull continues to lobby for direct access. There just aren't enough paths to go around. The Manchester Airport Station operation has proven a resounding success.

 

[Bigman]

I agree, it has been a big success and a major asset for the North. It seems a shame that they cannot utilise the old Mayfield station to help with capacity issues.

 

[Jamman]

Nothing like being the victim of your own success eh!
*engage fantasy mode*
Perhaps a mixture of the London 'airport express' model (VIC-PICC-STOC-MAN) for local users and direct trains from further a-field would work? New line extension from Stockport?

 

[EGCC_MAN]

Still fantasy, but the preference amongst planners appears to be for a Metrolink (tram) extension to link Stockport with Manchester Airport. Still years off at best, though.

 

[gonetech]

View of the westbound open section of the new A555.
I have noticed that the now closed (access up to Shadowmoss only) westbound Ringway Road still appears to be catching many drivers out due to signage being difficult to read i think.View attachment 9601

 

[EGCC_MAN]

The A6-MARR (Manchester Airport Relief Road) is slated to open to traffic along its full nine mile length on October 15th. This should significantly reduce journey times by road to points east, as well as relieving long-term bottlenecks such as Finney Lane through Heald Green.

The Manchester Airport to Styal Road section opened last month. 'Old' Ringway Road now links into Shadowmoss Road only and no longer provides a through-route to / from Manchester Airport.