Manchester
Piccadilly
Station
Guide
Information for older and
disabled passengers.
Including
accessible
facilities and
passenger
assistance
services.
Contents
Introduction 04
Station overview 05
Who does what at our station 05
Station operating hours 05
Train operators at our station 06
Manchester Metrolink Tram station 07
at Piccadilly
Station access 08
Step-free access to the main station 08
Step-free access to platforms 08
Manchester Metrolink 08
Upper concourse &first-class lounge 09
Lift access to all floors 09
Step-free classification 09
Tactile paving/panels 10
Arriving by car 10
Parking 10
Taxis 11
Buying a ticket 12
Ticket oce opening hours 13
Ticket vending machine 13
operating times
Passenger Assistance 14
Passenger Assistance at our station 14
Accessing Passenger Assist services 16
Booking in advance 16
Turn up and go 18
2 | Manchester Piccadilly
Where to go when you arrive 19
at the station
Replacement transport 20
Interchanging 21
Using the station at busier times 23
If things don’t go as planned 24
Booked assistance failures 24
Planned or unplanned disruption 24
Station facilities 26
Seating 26
Toilets 29
Left luggage 30
Customer information screens 31
Information points 32
Hearing loops 32
Catering and retail 33
Getting in touch 34
If things go wrong 34
On the day of travel 35
How to escalate a complaint 36
How to contact train operators 37
Further information 38
About this guide 38
Our ATP 38
Working with train operators 38
Our work with disabled people 39
on improving accessibility
Station Guide | 3
Introduction
Welcome to Manchester Piccadilly
station.
This leaflet sets out:
• The help that is available at the station
for older and disabled passengers
and how to get it.
• The facilities available in and around
the station.
We work in collaboration with all relevant
parties, including our train operators, to meet
the standards outlined in this guide and
commit to continuously improve our services
and facilities for older and disabled passengers.
4 | Manchester Piccadilly
Station overview
Who does what at our station
Network Rail manages the station, provides
assistance to passengers and maintains
facilities including toilets and accessible
features such as lifts and escalators.
Our train operators sell tickets to passengers
and provide the train services.
Station operating hours
Day Time
Monday to Friday 04:30 - 01:05
Saturday 04:30 - 01:45
Sunday 05:30 - 01:05
Subject to the arrival of last train of the day
and the departure of the first train in the
morning.
Station Guide | 5
Train operators at our station are:
• Northern Rail – trains between
Manchester Airport, Barrow-in-Furness,
Windermere, Alderley Edge, Liverpool
Lime Street, Rose Hill Marple, Stoke-on-
Trent, Blackpool North, Hazel Grove,
Sheeld, Crewe, Hadfield, Buxton,
Southport and New Mills Central
• TransPennine Express – trains
between Manchester Airport,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Redcar Central,
Huddersfield, Hull and Cleethorpes
• Transport for Wales – trains between
Carmarthen, Chester, Manchester
Airport, Holyhead and Llandudno
• Avanti West Coast – trains between
Manchester and London Euston
• CrossCountry – trains between
Birmingham, Bournemouth,
Southampton and Plymouth
• East Midlands Railway – trains
between Manchester, Liverpool
and Norwich
6 | Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester
Metrolink Tram
station at Piccadilly
Manchester’s Piccadilly Metrolink is operated
by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)
and further information on their services can be
found using their website www.tfgm.com.
For information on how to interchange
between our station and the Metrolink and the
help we can provide, please see page 21 of this
leaflet ‘Interchanging’.
Station Guide | 7
Station access
Step-free access to the main station
is via –
• The station Approach Road via London
Road and Ducie Street.
• Fairfield Street entrance to the main
station has step-free access via the two
lifts located at this entrance and this is
also where the short stay carpark, taxi
rank and pick up point is located.
Step-free access to platforms
Platforms 1-12 are step-free and can be
accessed via the main concourse.
Platforms 13-14 have step-free access via a
dedicated lift for these two platforms located
on the overbridge next to the Waiting lounge.
Some of our platforms are long, so it may
take a little time to reach your train or access
our main concourse on arrival therefore you
may wish to seek support from one of our
station team, to get you where you need to
go on time.
Manchester Metrolink
There is step-free access from Manchester
Piccadilly to the Metrolink, via lifts and
escalators from the main concourse,
platforms 8-9 and 12.
8 | Manchester Piccadilly
Upper concourse & first-class lounge
Step-free access is available here and can be
accessed by using our lifts situated opposite
platform 1 and platform 12 on our main
concourse, also two escalators at each end of
the mall also situated on the main concourse.
Lift access to all floors
Fairfield Street entrance lifts to main
concourse and upper concourse gives access
to the Metrolink level, platforms 1-14 and
bars, restaurants, shops and ticket and travel
centre. There is also a lift located at the top
of the short stay car park on Fairfield Street
which provides access to the satellite lounge
next to platforms 13-14.
Step-free classification
Under the industry step-free classification
system, Manchester Piccadilly is a Category
A station, meaning that the station has step-
free access to and between all platforms, at all
times trains are running,via level access, lifts or
ramps (in accordance with new-build standards
re gradient/length).
Station Guide | 9
Tactile paving/panels
Tactile paving/panels are used to help
passengers with visual impairments to detect
the platform edges at our stations. These are
comprised of bumps that are detectable with
a walking cane, by guide dogs and/or felt
underfoot.
At Manchester Piccadilly platforms 1-12
are fully fitted with tactile paving/panels.
Platforms 13-14 have no tactile paving/panels
fitted. If your train is departing from one of
these platforms and you require assistance
please ask one of our station team.
Arriving by car
Our pick-up/drop-o point is located on
Fairfield Street just beyond the entrance and
next to the taxi rank and short stay car park.
Use the postcode M1 2QF for sat nav.
Parking
There is a short stay car park at our Fairfield
Street entrance, we also have a long stay
facility within the Multi Storey car park, which
is located on Sheeld Street at the rear of
the station. You can gain access to the main
station from this location via the lifts.
Short stay car park has three Blue badge bays.
10 | Manchester Piccadilly
Taxis
We have an accessible taxi rank which is
located next to our Fairfield Street entrance
and runs alongside the short stay car park and
pick-up and drop-o point.
Our sta are available when you arrive or
depart the station during opening hours every
day and will help passengers who need or have
booked passenger assistance between the taxi
rank and the station.
Note: we have an assistance call point located
in this area and it can be found through the
entrance doors and to the left, next to the lifts.
To access the taxi rank, follow signs from inside
the station.
For your information:
The taxi rank is a designated taxi rank
operating black cabs, all of which are
wheelchair accessible. Some of the newer
‘black cabs’ are also fitted with induction
loops and intercoms for hearing aid users.
Station Guide | 11
Buying a ticket
Tickets can be purchased from the ticket and
travel centre which is situated on the main
concourse opposite platforms 6-7.
There is a height adjusted ticket counter
located in the ticket and travel centre.
Alternatively tickets can be purchased from the
ticket machines which are located just outside
the centre on the main concourse.
Our ticket machines are all equipped with card
readers.
Our passenger assistance sta can also help
you buy tickets if required.
12 | Manchester Piccadilly
Ticket oce opening hours
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 06:00 – 22:00
Sunday 08:00 – 21:00
Ticket vending machine
operating times
Machines are available during station
operating hours.
Station Guide | 13
Passenger Assistance
Passenger Assistance at our station
We oer assistance to older and disabled
passengers who need help accessing our
facilities and train services.
Our Passenger Assistance team have access to
wheelchairs and Passenger Assistance vehicles
to help us assist you in and around the station.
Note:
Wheelchairs are not available for passenger
use without the help of one of our team.
What services are included?
Our Passenger Assistance team can aid with:
• Oering a helping hand to the station.
• Support when boarding, finding a seat,
or alighting the train.
• Meeting you from your train and taking
you to your next train or the exit.
• Arranging a ramp to assist you on or o
your train.
• Assistance relating to a non-visible
disability.
• Advising on the accessibility of other
stations across the network for your
onward journey.
• Carrying your bag(s) – up to three items
of luggage as per the National Rail
Conditions of Travel.
14 | Manchester Piccadilly
Distances from the concourse to trains
can be lengthy at Manchester Piccadilly so
to assist you in a timely and safe manner
we would request our passengers to arrive
in good time; we recommend arriving 30
minutes prior to departure.
When arriving at the station by train where
it is the terminating stop for the train, our
aim is to meet you on time. Sometimes
it may take us a little longer because we
often assist more than one passenger per
train, but we have a service commitment to
not exceed 5 minutes from arrival and 10
minutes during disruption.
If you arrive at the station much earlier
than your planned departure time, you may
have to wait for assistance sta to become
available.
Manchester Piccadilly is a busy station for
Passenger Assistance bookings. Because our
station is so busy, we do recommend that
you book in advance wherever possible.
Pre-booked assistance can be booked up to
2 hours in advance of travel.
Station Guide | 15
Accessing Passenger Assist services
Assistance for any journey, including journeys
with multiple connections using multiple train
companies, can be booked in advance, or can
be requested on the day from a member
of sta.
Booking in advance
There are several ways you can book
assistance in advance:
1. Contact the relevant train operator
for your journey via their website.
2. Transreport Passenger
Assistance App
You will be able to download
the app by searching for
“Passenger Assistance” on
your app store (iOS/Android).
Once found, click ‘Install’ and
wait for the app to appear.
Send your request to book
assistance on the app and
this will be sent directly to
the train operator, who will
arrange assistance for you.
We will tell you when your
booking is confirmed. Then,
all you have to do is book
your ticket and you’re on
your way.
16 | Manchester Piccadilly
3. Visit the National Rail Enquiries website.
4. Follow the instructions provided via any
other train booking service provider.
On the day you can request assistance from
any of our team or go directly to our assisted
travel lounge where one our team will help
arrange assistance with you.
Tell us about your journey
The booking agent will need to know the
following information, so it may be useful
to have this to hand when you call:
• The date and time of the service you
are planning to travel on.
• Your seat reservation details (if you
have one).
• If you are travelling with other
people, especially if they also require
assistance, at Manchester Piccadilly
our assistance vehicles can only seat
three people each.
• If you have any requests such as a
preference to being assisted on foot
rather than in a buggy, please make
this clear to the booking agent.
Station Guide | 17
‘Turn up and go’
As well as booking in advance, you can
ask for assistance on the day that you are
travelling (we call this ‘turn up and go’).
Assistance services are available at all times
the station is open. You may need to wait
until sta are available to help, but our
policy is to make it happen.
You can ask any member of sta at the
station or go to our Passenger Assistance
Point at the times it is open. Alternatively,
there is an assistance call point located
inside the Fairfield Street entrance.
18 | Manchester Piccadilly
Where to go when you arrive at
the station
We have an Assistance Meeting Point located on
the main concourse opposite platform 1, we also
have an assistance call button at our Fairfield
Street entrance on the left side of the entrance.
We have a dedicated support team who provide
assistance to our customers and they can be
identified by the purple tabards that they wear,
although any member of the railway team can
assist you to our assistance meeting point.
Station Guide | 19
Assisted travel lounge opening hours
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 07:00 – 22:00
Sunday 08:00 – 22:00
Our station reception can help you:
• check-in for assistance you have
previously booked
• make a ‘turn up and go’ request for
assistance for those who have not
booked
There is a comfortable seating/waiting area
exclusively for our passengers, marked as
priority seating.
Outside of these times, passenger assistance
services are still available, by speaking
to a member of sta on the concourse
or by using the help call buttons located
on Fairfield Street entrance and on the
entrance, adjacent to platform 1.
Replacement transport
In some circumstances, alternative
accessible transport might be oered during
planned works or times of disruption.
We will work with your train operator to help
you make your journey, this may include
the train operator arranging alternative
accessible transport where appropriate.
20 | Manchester Piccadilly
Interchanging
This section explains how you can change
from one mode of transport to another and
how to navigate within the station.
If you need information on how to change
to another mode of transport at the station,
please speak to a member of sta in the
station. Please note that we can only provide
assistance within the station premises to/
from Manchester Piccadilly to the Metrolink,
taxi rank and bus stops at the Fairfield Street
entrance.
Bus
The bus station is located in Piccadilly Gardens
and is located approximately half a mile away
from the front approach road. The bus station
provides bus services to the surrounding areas
within Greater Manchester. We regret we
cannot assist between this bus station and
Manchester Piccadilly.
We also have a Free Bus service that goes to
various local locations around the city and can
be accessed from the Approach Road bus stops.
Taxis
An accessible taxi rank is at the Fairfield Street
entrance.
Our team is available to help passengers who
need assistance to and from the taxi rank.
To access the taxi rank, follow signs from
around the station.
Station Guide | 21
Assistance to interchange
Manchester Piccadilly is a complex station which
interfaces with other transport modes. We work
as one team to make your journey as smooth as
possible. Please note that we can only provide
assistance on the station premises between
Manchester Piccadilly and those services within
our premises.
Manchester Metrolink Tram station at Piccadilly
is located on the Fairfield Street level and
assistance is available to and from these
platforms.
• The city centre ‘Free Bus’ is available from
outside the main station entrance. Two
bus stops service 3 bus services to various
local locations around the city and are
wheelchair accessible.
22 | Manchester Piccadilly
Using the station at busier times
Manchester Piccadilly is one of the busiest
stations in the Northwest and there are
times the station can become congested.
Our station teams manage passenger flow
during busier times.
O-peak times are when the station is least
busy – these are normally during the week after
09:30 until 16:00 and then after 18:30. Peak
times occur before and after these times.
If you require assistance to travel through
the station during busier times our team are
available to assist. Please speak to a member
of the team available throughout the station
and they will be able to provide assistance to
and from your train.
Station Guide | 23
If things do not go
as planned
Booked assistance failures
Where your booked assistance has not been
provided or does not go as confirmed by the
operator, passengers can submit a claim
for redress to the operator of the train they
were travelling on, or due to travel on, when
the failure took place. We will provide you
information as required to help you.
Planned or unplanned disruption
We will tell you about disruption to services
by displaying information on our customer
information screens and making audio
announcements throughout the station.
If you have booked and/or require assistance
during times of disruption we would ask that
you make yourself known to one of our station
colleagues at the assisted travel lounge or
the Passenger Assist meeting point who will
support you by providing information on your
booked service, and will assist with your onward
journey including rearranging assistance as
necessary.
All information during disruption will be
communicated to you including regular delay
updates to help you decide on your travel
preferences and if required, how to access
suitable alternative transport options.
24 | Manchester Piccadilly
We will provide access and information on how
to claim compensation when you are delayed.
Prior to any long-term refurbishments
at our stations we will consult user groups
and stakeholders.
We will notify you of any short or long-term
refurbishments on our website and National
Rail Enquiries to help you plan your journey in
advance and when you are in our stations we
will provide information prior to and during
these refurbishment activities.
We will also keep passengers up to date via our
social media platforms:
@NetworkRailMAN on Twitter.
Station Guide | 25
Station facilities
Seating
Seating is located throughout the station
including priority seating, please refer to
table below for details:
Location
Customer
information
screens
Priority
seating
Heated
Main concourse
Close to the station
approach road
entrance is a large
seating area for
passengers, there
is also a selection
in front of several
platforms.
Yes Yes No
Passenger
assistance
meeting point
Located opposite
platform 1 on the
main concourse, this
area is staed to
help aid passengers
that require
assistance.
Yes Yes No
Upper concourse
A large number of
seats are available
and located
throughout the
concourse.
Yes Yes No
26 | Manchester Piccadilly
Location
Customer
information
screens
Priority
seating
Heated
Platform 10
A selection of
seating is located
near the entrance
of platform 10
next to the moving
walkways.
Yes Yes No
Quiet lounge
A selection of seats
can be found in this
area, located within
the waiting lounge.
This area is for
passengers wanting
some quiet time.
Yes Yes Yes
Overbridge
A cluster of seats
in this area located
on the interchange
route to all
platforms.
Yes Yes No
Fairfield street
entrance
Seating is available
in locations around
this area.
Yes Yes No
Station Guide | 27
Location
Customer
information
screens
Priority
seating
Heated
Mall
A number of seats
are available in this
area.
No Yes No
South concourse
Seating is located
in the corner, next
to the lifts that
overlook Fairfield
street entrance and
platform 14.
No Yes No
Platforms 1–14
A small selection of
seating is available
on all platforms.
Perch seating only on
platforms 13 & 14.
Yes Yes No
28 | Manchester Piccadilly
Toilets
Toilets including accessible toilets and baby
changing facilities can be found in the
following locations:
Opposite platform 12 on the main concourse.
Opposite platform 12 on the upper concourse.
In our satellite lounge which is located at the
top of platforms 10-11 beyond the moving
walking. There is a lift at the end of platform
10 to gain access to this area.
All our toilets are free to use and our accessible
toilets can be accessed using a Radar key. If
you don’t have a Radar key of your own, please
speak to a member of station sta or one of
our cleaning team who will open it for you.
Our toilets are open during station opening
hours.
Station Guide | 29
Customer information screens
We have various customer information
screens across the station that provide
train information, including train times
and platform numbers.
We also provide audio announcements
for all our train services and other customer
related information.
Station Guide | 31
Information points
There are information points located across
the main station concourse where our sta
will be able to help you with information
about the station and our services including
access to local area, tourist and other
transport information.
Sta are available on the concourse during
station operating hours.
Hearing loops
Located at the ticket and travel centre and
also at our train information point.
32 | Manchester Piccadilly
Catering and retail
As our retail oering can change regularly,
please visit our station website page for up
to date information or ask for a station
map at the station.
More detailed accessibility information
Our website station pages contain all
the information on Manchester Piccadilly
station, visit
Manchester Piccadilly – Facilities, Shops
and Parking Information
Station Guide | 33
Getting in touch
If things go wrong
We value and welcome your feedback,
so please share your experience with us.
You can do so in the following ways:
At our managed stations: Employees are
trained to help you if you have any questions.
Speak to any Network Rail member of sta
at one of our managed stations and they will
attempt to resolve your query.
National Helpline: 03457 11 41 41, open
24 hours a day, seven days a week including
bank holidays. If the query can’t be resolved
immediately, we will log your feedback and
look into the matter.
Online: www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus
where you can submit a station complaint
form.
You can access frequently asked questions or
choose to provide feedback to Network Rail
from this link, which is also where you will find
our online contact form.
Live chat: Our live chat is available from
Day Time
Monday – Friday 07:00 – 21:00
Saturday – Sunday 08:00 – 20:00
www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus.
34 | Manchester Piccadilly
Twitter: @NetworkRail, we respond to as
many queries as we can on Twitter or will help
you to log an issue for us to look in to.
Post: We have regional community relations
teams. If action is required, our central team
will pass your query or feedback to the team
that works in your area. You can write to us at:
Network Rail
1 Eversholt Street
London
NW1 2DN
On the day of travel
If you have any questions about your journey
prior to accessing the station, please contact
the Train Operator you booked assistance with.
Alternatively you can contact the National
Passenger Assist team on 0800 022 3720
who will direct you to the correct person.
You can follow us on Twitter for updates about
the station - @NetworkRailMAN.
Whilst our Twitter account can oer useful
information, it isn’t monitored 24 hours a day
so for urgent advice we would advise you to
contact our National Helpline on 03457 11 41
41. We will aim to respond to any messages on
Twitter as soon as possible.
Station Guide | 35
How to escalate a complaint
If you are unhappy with how Network Rail or
a train operator has dealt with your complaint
you can contact the Rail Ombudsman, which is
an independent organisation set up to resolve
complaints about the rail industry.
Telephone: 0330 094 0362
Textphone: 0330 094 0363
Email: info@railombudsman.org
Twitter: @RailOmbudsman
Website: www.railombudsman.org
Post: FREEPOST – RAIL OMBUDSMAN
36 | Manchester Piccadilly
How to contact train operators
• Northern Rail – trains between
Manchester Airport, Barrow-in-Furness,
Windermere, Alderley Edge, Liverpool
Lime Street, Rose Hill Marple, Stoke-on-
Trent, Blackpool North, Hazel Grove,
Sheeld, Crewe, Hadfield, Buxton,
Southport and New Mills Central
• TransPennine Express – trains
between Manchester Airport,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Redcar Central,
Huddersfield, Hull and Cleethorpes
• Transport for Wales – trains between
Carmarthen, Chester, Manchester
Airport, Holyhead and Llandudno
• Avanti West Coast – trains between
Manchester and London Euston
• CrossCountry – trains between
Birmingham, Bournemouth,
Southampton and Plymouth
• East Midlands Railway – trains
between Manchester, Liverpool
and Norwich
Station Guide | 37
Further information
About this guide
You will find a copy of this guide on our
website. The guide is also available in
alternative formats including large print,
audio version and text only versions.
Our Accessible Travel Policy
Our policy document sets out the commitments
Network Rail has made, to ensure older and
disabled passengers can use our stations
and facilities.
You can find this on our website, or by
contacting us using the details in the
contact us section.
Working with train operators
As part of our commitment to provide high
quality assistance to our passengers we
engage regularly with our train operators
to review, monitor, and improve our service
provision.
38 | Manchester Piccadilly
Our work with disabled people on
improving accessibility
Manchester Piccadilly Accessibility Forum has
been set up to consult future changes to the
station with our disabled passengers, helping
to ensure we build a station fit for all.
National Freephone Passenger Assist
Telephone: 0800 022 3720
Textphone/minicom: 0845 60 50 600
Textphone Free SMS Passenger Assist
Forwarding Service: 60083 – text your
requested journey from your phone and
you will receive an instant message with
the number you need to dial from your
textphone unit.
www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/travel-
assistance/
Station Guide | 39
