Northern Hub

The Northern Hub is a rail programme in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottleneck in Manchester. It is predicted to stimulate economic growth in the region. The project has several elements but the prime objective is to eradicate the bottleneck in Manchester and allow trains to travel through the city at speed without stopping. The project was announced as the Manchester Hub in 2009. The project's steering partnership involves Network Rail, Deutsche Bahn, First TransPennine Express, Northern Rail, East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, Freightliner, the Department for Transport, Transport for Greater Manchester and Merseytravel.

Services from Liverpool to Leeds and beyond will be diverted from the Liverpool to Manchester line southern route via Warrington Central and Manchester Piccadilly to the more direct electrified Liverpool to Manchester northern route via Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Victoria, providing a fast route to and through Manchester. The construction of two through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly will allow 4 more trains per hour through the station. The refurbishment of Manchester Victoria station was completed in October 2015 and will become an east-west rail interchange and through station between Liverpool and Leeds. Trains from North East England to Manchester Airport will use the £85 million Ordsall Chord, between Manchester Victoria and Manchester Oxford Road to access Piccadilly and will continue to the airport without reversing at Piccadilly.

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