Andy Burnham says Manchester is being 'forced to accept second best' after taking a tour to highlight the state of the city's central railway stations. The Mayor of Greater Manchester Mr Burnham this week told the Manchester Evening News he wanted to take control of all the region's stations.
He has challenged the government to urgently invest in them - in particular, the five central stations Manchester Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Salford Central which he described as dangerous and embarrassing - or he says he will demand they are handed over during upcoming devolution talks.
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He has now hit out again at what he believes is chronic under-investment in the central stations, as part of a video tour of them. Network Rail and the Department of Transport (DfT) have both defended their record of investment.
But during the video, Mr Burnham said that investment in Manchester stations was lagging behind that of other major cities such as London.
He reserved particular ire for the state of Salford Central station, just over the River Irwell border in the city centre, which he described as 'third-best.' Display boards with out of order stickers on, plastic fencing and parts of the station looking tired and in a state of disrepair are also shown during the video, as is a woman struggling to clamber up onto a train.
Mr Burnham says it is 'not a station that people can use' if they have mobility issues. Rail bosses insist it is getting an upgrade next year.
However, he also accused the government of pursuing a 'cut price' option to redevelop Piccadilly which urgently needed upgrading ahead of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse rail coming to the city.
He was accompanied by Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, and the Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett on the tour, also visiting other stations such as Salford Crescent and Oxford Road. "It's true of all of the stations in city centre Manchester, if you go round them, Salford Central, Deansgate, Oxford Road, Piccadilly, they've barely seen any investment, any of them" Mr Burnham said.
"The stations can't cope with the growth of the city. They're like outliers in the city now aren't they. Then you look at Piccadilly with HS2, and the government is still trying to argue for the cut-price option at Manchester Piccadilly.
"And this can't be right. When you look at what's been spent on other cities, particularly London, in terms of their main train stations, there has just been a huge amount of investment, rightly so, for many years. We're always being forced to accept second best, or third best when it comes to Salford Central and the message from us today is enough is enough. Levelling Up has to be made real.
"You need to invest in these train stations and give us the right solution for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail at Manchester Piccadilly."
In response, A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Network Rail, train operating companies, the Department of Transport, Transport for Greater Manchester and the Mayor’s office, are working side-by-side as part of the Greater Manchester stations alliance hunting down public and private funding to enhance the customer experience for passengers.
“From January next year during a five-month overhaul, Salford Central will have its canopies and platforms renewed. This will be followed by new step-free access at Walkden, Daisy Hill, Irlam and Swinton stations.
"A new mobility lounge will also be built at Manchester Piccadilly in the summer, and proposals to improve facilities at Manchester Piccadilly, Victoria and Manchester International Airport stations, plus the remodeling and refurbishment of Manchester Oxford Road, were announced in March.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “We have invested £84m for rail passengers in Manchester and the North West this year, cutting delays and increasing the reliability of trains in Greater Manchester and the North.
"We’re also establishing new partnerships between Great British Railways and local government, to give local leaders a greater say in how the railways are run in their area and more control of local stations."
