Kier to deliver £115m Manchester Airport station remodelling for Network Rail

Network Rail has confirmed that Kier will deliver a £115m remodelling of Manchester Airport station, extending three platforms, reworking the approach junction and modernising signalling, with work starting this winter and running to 2028.

The infrastructure owner announced the scheme on 7 October 2026. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 will be lengthened so that two six-car trains can use them at the same time, while the junction outside the station will be reconfigured to improve train movements and operational flexibility, Network Rail said.

Track layouts on the approach will also be upgraded and the signalling systems upgraded and modernised.

Simon Daly, Network Rail senior sponsor, said: "these improvements will create more capacity for passengers, allow longer trains to serve the station and improve the reliability of services for years to come."

The first possession

The first stage is a 29-hour closure of the station on Sunday 6 December 2026, with the station reopening on Monday 7 December. Engineers will use the possession to install a utility bridge over the railway to carry electrical cables.

That new structure allows a bridge used by Manchester Airport Group to be removed at Easter 2027 and replaced later the same year, Network Rail said.

The December closure is the first of a package of engineering work that Network Rail's notes to editors put between the end of 2026 and the middle of 2028. The main release describes the programme as starting this winter and running between now and 2028.

Rail replacement buses will run between Wilmslow and Manchester Airport during the closure, and Metrolink services are unaffected. Network Rail said it is working with Manchester Airport Group, Transport for Greater Manchester and train operators on the arrangements.

Chris Nutton, TransPennine Express major projects and TRU director, urged customers to check their journeys before travelling while the work is under way.

Kier's framework position

Network Rail's announcement names Kier as its contractor for the scheme but does not say how the work was procured.

Separately, Kier said in April 2024 that it had been appointed to lot A1 of Network Rail's North West & Central Region CP7 (Control Period 7) capital delivery framework. Lot A1 covers projects worth £7m to £200m, and the framework's scope includes platforms, signalling, and switches and crossings, according to the contractor.

The framework runs for five years from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029, with the potential for a two-year extension, Kier said.

Where the money comes from

The Department for Transport (DfT) approved the platform-lengthening plans on 14 January 2026 as part of its Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement. The department said the aim was to add capacity at Manchester Airport sooner by lengthening platforms at the existing station to accommodate longer and more frequent trains.

The DfT set a £45bn funding cap for the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, with £1.1bn allocated over the current Spending Review period.

Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: "this £115 million investment from government will deliver more reliable services, increase capacity, and improve connections for the millions of passengers who use the station every year."

The wider programme

Network Rail describes the station work as part of the Manchester Rail Upgrade, which it said was formerly called the Manchester North West Transformation Project (MNTP). An earlier Network Rail release from July 2025 referred to the same programme as the Manchester and North West Transformation Programme.

Schemes already completed under the programme include the £100m Wigan to Bolton electrification, which entered service in summer 2025, and platform extensions at Mauldeth Road, Gatley and East Didsbury. Network Rail said the Wigan to Bolton job covered a 6.5-mile route, with 21km of power lines and 414 overhead line stanchions installed.

Scheme	Value
Manchester Airport station remodelling	£115m
Wigan to Bolton electrification	£100m

Work continuing elsewhere includes a third platform at Salford Crescent, new turnback sidings at Oldfield Road and Brewery Junction, overhead line installation in Manchester and the associated signalling. Network Rail said Salford Crescent's third platform and new gate line are due to open in autumn 2026, with scheduled stops beginning at the December 2026 timetable change.

Projects still in development are a revised track layout and accessibility upgrades at Manchester Oxford Road and work to increase capacity and operational flexibility at Manchester Piccadilly.

At Manchester Airport, the next milestone after the December possession is the removal of the Manchester Airport Group bridge at Easter 2027.