Victoria Station Manchester

Victoria Station in Manchester in the north of England is one of the city's four major railway stations. The others are Piccadilly, Deansgate and Oxford Road.

The station serves as both a mainline and Metrolink station.

Manchester Arena is next to the station and was built in the 1990's on what was a part of the original station.

Victoria Station, Manchester. — Victoria Metrolink Station Sign

Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof. — Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof of the Metrolink station

History

The original Victoria Station in Manchester was first built in 1844.

The station was designed by the "Father of Railways" George Stephenson (1781-1848) and completed by John Brogden (1798-1869), another giant of railway engineering and contracting.

The buildings are in sandstone in an Italianate style. They retain some superb historical features such as the wood panelling in the ticket offices and a tile map depicting the network of the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

The station was redeveloped in 2013 with the addition of an ETFE roof and refurbishments to the walls and period pieces. There is now better access to Manchester Arena and improved retail facilities.

Trains

Nowadays Victoria Station Manchester has 6 mainline and 4 Metrolink platforms.

There are mainline trains from Victoria to Leeds, York Station in York and Liverpool Lime Street Station in Liverpool.

Platform 4 is a continuation of Platform 3 with trains to Scarborough.

There are also eastbound trains to Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Scarborough and westbound services to Chester, Wigan and Manchester Airport.

One train a day travels north to Edinburgh Waverley Station in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Airport Line, Bury Line and the Oldham and Rochdale Line all begin at Victoria Station.

There are trams to Manchester Airport, Altrincham, East Didsbury in Didsbury, Piccadilly and Exchange Square.

Take the Metrolink from here to Queens Road Station for the Museum of Transport.

View of the restored Refreshment Room. — View of the restored Refreshment Room

Station Facilities

Victoria Station in Manchester has no car park but has space for 38 bicycles. There is a car park nearby at Long Mill Gate with over 200 spaces.

The ticket office is open at the following times:

Monday - Friday 6.30 am - 10 pm; Saturday 6.30 am - 10 pm; Sunday 8 am - 10.15 pm.

There is a Lost Property Office open daily (Tel: 0800 200 6060).

Other facilities at the station include pay phones, a post box and public toilets.

Metrolink train arriving at the station. — Metrolink train arriving at the station

Buses

The two, free Metroshuttle buses connect Manchester's main stations and various of its attractions. They run daily 7 am - 7 pm at intervals of 10-12 minutes.

Route 1 starts from Piccadilly Station and runs through Chinatown, along Deansgate, through Spinningfields, past the People's History Museum, the John Rylands Library, Piccadilly Gardens, the Coach Station and back to Piccadilly.

Route 2 starts from Piccadilly Station and runs a long Whitworth Street, past the Palace Theatre, Manchester Oxford Road Station, Salford Central (peak times Monday-Friday only), Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Station Approach, the National Football Museum, the Printworks, the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art, through the Northern Quarter and back to Piccadilly.