Manchester Central railway station

Former railway station in Greater Manchester, England

Manchester Central

General information
Location| Manchester, City of Manchester
England
Coordinates| 53°28′34″N 2°14′51″W﻿ / ﻿53.47611°N 2.24750°W﻿ / 53.47611; -2.24750
Grid reference| SJ837977
Platforms| 9
Other information
Status| Disused
History
Original company| Cheshire Lines Committee
Pre-grouping| Cheshire Lines Committee
Post-grouping| Cheshire Lines Committee,
London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 July 1880| Opened
5 May 1969| Closed

Manchester Central was a railway station in Manchester city centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, the building was converted into an exhibition and conference centre which was opened in 1986; originally known as G-MEX, it is now named Manchester Central. The structure is a Grade II* listed building.

On 27 March 2020, the UK government announced that the building would be converted into an emergency hospital, intended to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and with 1,000 beds.[1] It was opened in April 2020 and closed in March 2021.[2]

## History

[edit]

Manchester Central station, by Pierre Adolphe Valette (1910-11, Manchester Art Gallery).

The station was built between 1875 and 1880 by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC), and was opened officially on 1 July 1880. The architect was Sir John Fowler and the engineers were Richard Johnson, Andrew Johnston and Charles Sacré for the three companies which formed the CLC.[3][4]

While it was being built, a temporary facility, Manchester Free Trade Hall station (after the Free Trade Hall, a landmark building nearby) was in use from 9 September 1877. It had two wooden platforms serving four tracks. When the station opened, the temporary station became Manchester Central Goods.

In 1963, the building was Grade II* listed for its special architectural or historic interest.[3]

## Construction details

[edit]

Manchester Central station on a winter's day in 1961

The station's roof is a single span wrought iron truss structure 550 feet (168 m) long with a span of 210 feet (64 m), and was 90 feet (27 m) high at its apex above the railtracks. Glass covered the middle section, timber (inside) and slate (outside) covered the outer quarters. The end screens were glazed with timber boarding surrounding the outer edges. It was constructed by Andrew Handyside and Co.[5] The substructure and masonry partition were provided by Robert Neill and Sons of Manchester. Underneath the train shed is a large brick undercroft with intersecting tunnel vaults, above which were six platforms above street level which exited the station onto viaducts and bridges.[6] The undercroft was used for storage and connected to the adjacent goods sidings by a carriage lift. The station's two-storey south wall has 15 bays separated by brick pilasters. At ground-floor level, the bays have three round-headed windows and at first-floor level three square-headed. In the 20th century, a glazed canopy was erected at the entrance at north end.[3]

A temporary wooden building, erected at the front of the station to house ticket offices and waiting rooms was planned to be replaced by a grander edifice, for example a hotel and railway offices as at London St Pancras, but remained in use until the station closed. The Midland Hotel was built by the Midland Railway in 1898–1903 on an adjacent site.

## Railway usage

[edit]

Manchester railways, 1910 Midland lines

The Midland Railway (MR), one of the CLC's partners, used Manchester Central as its terminus for services including express trains to London St Pancras. Beginning in 1938, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (successor to the MR) ran two prestige expresses, The Peaks and the Palatine, stopping en route at Chinley, Millers Dale, Matlock, Derby and Leicester.

Between 1960 and 15 April 1966, during the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, Central station was the terminus for the Midland Pullman, a streamlined blue six-coach diesel multiple unit. This stopped at Cheadle Heath (now closed), before running fast to St Pancras.

Services through Millers Dale finished in July 1968, when the line was closed as a through route. The station provided local services to Chester and Liverpool, but closed to passengers on 5 May 1969, when the remaining services were switched to Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly stations.

Preceding station  |   | Disused railways  |   | Following station

|
|
|
|

Terminus |   | Cheshire Lines Committee
Manchester South District Line |   | Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Line closed, station open
| Cheshire Lines Committee
Manchester to Liverpool Line |   | Trafford Park
Line closed, station open
| Cheshire Lines Committee
Mid-Cheshire Line |   | Sale
Line closed, station open

## Accidents and incidents

[edit]

* On 8 June 1939, a passenger train departed against a danger signal and was in collision with another passenger train. Several people were injured.[7]
* In October 1965, detectives who had arrested Ian Brady for the murder of 17-year-old Edward Evans in Hattersley discovered evidence in a left luggage locker at the station. This evidence connected them to the disappearances of two missing children, who were soon discovered to have been murdered by Brady and his accomplice Myra Hindley in the widely reported Moors murders, in which at least five children and teenagers were murdered.

## Post-railway era

[edit]

### Dereliction and redevelopment

[edit]

Central station car park (1980)

Main article: Manchester Central (Conference Centre)

Over a decade, Central station fell into a dilapidated state, was damaged by fire and was used as a car park. The property was acquired by Greater Manchester Council and, in 1982, work began on converting it into an exhibition centre, which opened in 1986 as the Greater Manchester Exhibition and Conference Centre or G-Mex. It was subsequently renamed Manchester Central, in honour of its railway history. The undercroft was converted into a car park, serving the centre and Bridgewater Hall.

### Light rail

[edit]

A Metrolink tram (1992)

The opening, in 1992, of the Metrolink light rail system has seen the conversion of suburban heavy rail lines such as the former Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway to Altrincham and the disused CLC route via Didsbury. With the introduction of Metrolink, rail services from south Manchester ran once more to Central station. However, instead of trains running into the Central station arch, light rail vehicles now cross the railway viaduct and stop at Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop. They then run down a ramp which runs parallel to Lower Mosley Street, alongside the south-eastern side of the former train shed, before reaching street level where they operate as trams and head towards St Peter's Square.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Derelict station in 1981

* Derelict platforms

* Platform detail

* Inside the derelict station

* Looking towards the platforms

* GMEX centre in 2007

* A 1894 map showing the location of Central station

## See also

[edit]

* The Great Northern Warehouse, a former railway building nearby, now a leisure/shopping complex
* Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Coronavirus: Birmingham and Manchester temporary hospitals announced". BBC News. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
2. ^ "Covid: NHS Nightingale Hospital North West to 'cease operations in March'". BBC News. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
3. ^ a b c Historic England (12 May 2002). "G-Mex, Windmill Street (1270514)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
4. ^ Lashley, Brian (5 May 2009). "Manchester Central marks milestone". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
5. ^ Manchester Central station (G-MEX) roof, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 25 November 2011
6. ^ Wright, Paul (21 May 2017). "Station name: Manchester Central". Disused Stations. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
7. ^ Earnshaw, Alan (1989). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 5. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 28\. ISBN 0-906899-35-4.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2013). Chester Northgate to Manchester. Middleton Press. figs. 106-118. ISBN 9781908174512. OCLC 892704846.
* Clarke, John (April 1966). "Railway Terminus into Exhibition Hall? - Manchester Central station of the Cheshire Lines planned for closure". Railway Magazine. Vol. 112, no. 780\. pp. 196–199.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manchester Central railway station.

* Ellis, Chris (11 January 2015). "What happened to England's forgotten railway stations?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
* A Guide to Civil Engineering in Manchester
* The Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review.

* v
* t
* e

Manchester railways

Legend

City Centre and North
Past, present and future

| Manchester Metrolink |  |

|  | Main line services

|
|
|
|

* * *

to Rochdale

|  |

|  |

to Oldham

Moston |  |

|  |
Newton Heath |  |

|  |

to Bury

|  |

|  |  | Newton Heath

and Moston
Bowker Vale |  |

|  |

to Tameside

Crumpsall |  |

|  | Clayton Bridge
Abraham Moss |  |

|  | Park
Woodlands Road |  |

|  |

to Tameside

Queens Road |  |

|  | Central Park
Monsall |  |

|  | Edge Lane
Miles Platting |  |

|  | Clayton Hall
|  |

|  | Velopark
Oldham Road |  |

|  | Holt Town
|  |

|  |
Manchester Victoria |  |

|  | Etihad Campus
Exchange |  |

|  | New Islington

| to Ordsall Chord

and to Salford

|  | Ardwick
Shudehill |  |

|  | Ashburys
High Street │  | Manchester

Piccadilly

|  | Mayfield
Market Street │  | Piccadilly

Gardens

|  |

to South Manchester

Exchange Square |  |

|  | Gorton
Mosley Street |  |

|  | Manchester Oxford Road
|  |

|  |
St Peter's Square |  |

|  |

to Belle Vue

| Manchester

Central
│  Deansgate-

Castlefield

|  | Deansgate
Liverpool Road |  |

|  |

to Hyde Road

| to Ordsall Chord

and to Salford

|  |

to Tameside

Cornbrook |  |

|  | Cornbrook
|  |

|  |
Pomona |  |

|  |

to Eccles

|  |

|  | Trafford Bar

to Trafford

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

to Trafford

|  |

|  | Firswood

to Altrincham

|  |

|  |

to Chorlton

|  |  |  |  |  |

* v
* t
* e

Closed railway stations in Greater Manchester

Bolton|

* Bolton Crook Street
* Bolton Great Moor Street
* Chequerbent (1831)
* Chequerbent (1885)
* Chew Moor
* Darcy Lever
* Horwich
* Lostock Lane
* Plodder Lane
* Rumworth and Daubhill
* The Oaks

Bury|

* Ainsworth Road Halt
* Bradley Fold
* Brandlesholme Road Halt
* Bury Knowsley Street
* Greenmount
* Holcombe Brook
* Knowles Level Crossing Halt
* Molyneux Brow
* Radcliffe Black Lane
* Radcliffe Bridge
* Ringley Road
* Sunny Wood Halt
* Tottington
* Withins Lane
* Woodhill Road Halt
* Woolfold

Manchester
(city centre in italics)|

* Baguley
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy
* Clayton Bridge
* Dean Lane
* Didsbury
* Fallowfield
* High Street (Metrolink)
* Hyde Road
* Levenshulme South
* Longsight
* Manchester Central
* Manchester Liverpool Road
* Manchester Mayfield
* Manchester Oldham Road
* Miles Platting
* Mosley Street (Metrolink)
* Newton Heath
* Northenden
* Park
* Wilbraham Road
* Withington and West Didsbury

Oldham|

* Delph
* Derker
* Diggle
* Dobcross
* Failsworth
* Friezland
* Grasscroft
* Grotton and Springhead
* Hollinwood
* Lees
* Measurements
* Middleton Junction
* Moorgate
* Oldham Central
* Oldham Clegg Street
* Oldham Glodwick Road
* Oldham Mumps
* Oldham Mumps (LNWR)
* Oldham Werneth
* Royton
* Royton Junction
* Saddleworth
* Shaw and Crompton
* Uppermill

Rochdale|

* Broadfield
* Broadley
* Middleton
* Milnrow
* New Hey
* Shawclough and Healey
* Wardleworth

Salford|

* Agecroft Bridge
* Barton Moss
* Cadishead
* Cross Lane
* Dixon Fold
* Ellenbrook
* Irlams o' th' Height
* Little Hulton
* Manchester Exchange
* Monton Green
* Oldfield Road
* Ordsall Lane
* Pendlebury
* Pendleton
* Pendleton Bridge
* Seedley
* Walkden Low Level
* Weaste
* Worsley

Stockport|

* Cheadle (CLC)
* Cheadle (LNWR)
* Cheadle Heath
* Cheadle North
* Hazel Grove (Midland)
* High Lane
* Heaton Mersey
* Heaton Norris
* Stockport Portwood
* Stockport Tiviot Dale

Tameside|

* Ashton Moss
* Ashton Park Parade
* Audenshaw (1st)
* Audenshaw (2nd)
* Droylsden
* Dukinfield and Ashton
* Dukinfield Central
* Godley East
* Hooley Hill
* Micklehurst
* Oldham Road
* Park Bridge
* Staley and Millbrook

Trafford|

* Altrincham (1st)
* Bowdon
* Broadheath (Altrincham)
* Cornbrook
* Dunham (W&SR)
* Dunham Massey
* Partington
* West Timperley

Wigan|

* Amberswood (Hindley)
* Astley
* Atherleigh
* Atherton Bag Lane
* Bamfurlong
* Boar's Head
* Golborne North
* Golborne South
* Hindley Green
* Hindley South
* Howe Bridge
* Leigh
* Lower Ince
* Lowton
* Pennington
* Platt Bridge
* Red Rock
* Tyldesley
* Westleigh
* West Leigh and Bedford
* Whelley
* Wigan Central

* List of closed stations
* List of open stations
* TfGM
* Transport

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