Starting this Sunday, 8th January. the line from Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport will be closed on Sundays whilst three stations on the line have their platforms extended to allow the use of longer trains with more seats for passengers.

Platforms at Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury, and Gatley stations are being extended in an £8.5m investment by Network Rail. To carry out the work, the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport will be closed on Sundays 8th, 15th, and 22nd January, and 12, 19th, and 26th February. The work will is planned to be completed by the end of March.

When the line is closed, rail-replacement buses will be provided, but passengers should allow extra time for their journeys and plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

On Sunday, 15th January, no trains will run to or from Manchester Piccadilly as important work is being carried out to the station’s roof.

On Sunday, 22nd January, no trains will be able to use platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly so that resurfacing work that started during the Christmas break can be completed.

In nearby Salford, Salford Central station will remain closed until summer 2023 whilst vital upgrade is carried out.

Simon Daly, sponsor at Network Rail, said: “The work to extend Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury and Gatley stations, and Northern’s planned roll out of longer trains in the future, is crucial to increasing capacity on services across the North West of England.

“This work means that longer trains can transport more passengers from across the North West to Manchester Airport.”

Chris Jackson, regional director for Northern, said: “We look forward to the commencement of these works and, upon completion, the improvement they will bring to the customer experience on services between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport. It is always important to invest in rail infrastructure to ensure we can keep the region moving, getting people from where they are to where they want to be.”

Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said: “The improvements taking place at Mauldeth Road, East Didsbury, and Gatley stations are welcome news, allowing for more customers to travel on this busy route.

“However, until the platform lengthening work is completed, there will be significant disruption for those customers using our services. A rail replacement bus service will be in place and we strongly advise customers planning to travel on these services to plan ahead and allow extra time, as journeys may take longer than usual.”