Salford Crescent railway station will close for several weekends between March and September next year. This is in a bid for improvement works to build a third platform to ease 'traffic jams' and reduce delays. The £21m investment by Network Rail aims to improve passenger flow and train services across the North West.

The station, which is on the busy Manchester to Preston line, handled nearly 1.2 million entries and exits in 2022/23, making it one of Greater Manchester's busiest stations. It serves routes from across the North West into Manchester and Manchester Airport .

The new platform will give signallers more options to ease 'traffic jams' through the station and the busy central Manchester rail network. To carry out the work, Salford Crescent station will close for several weekends between March and September 2025. The work is set to be complete in early 2026.

Ben Porter, Network Rail sponsor, said: "The new third platform at Salford Crescent station will mean signallers can better organise how trains move through the area. "Because of this work, passengers will have smoother, more reliable journeys both through Salford and across the North West. "To carry out this upgrade, we need to close Salford Crescent station for some weekends in 2025.

"We're working with Northern and Transport for Greater Manchester to make sure passengers will know what their journey options are. "We're sorry for the inconvenience this will cause for some passengers. "We're grateful for your p.