Extension: Victoria Station, Manchester

The works of the extension that are now in progress will, when completed practically double the present accommodation at the Victoria station occupied by the LYR, and embodying also many improvements in the present station, will form a most convenient arrangement for the access of passengers to and from the city in every direction. The new arrangement will consist of a spacious centre platform, technically called an island platform, with a smaller island platform beyond, and again an outer or arrival platform adjoining a spacious cab landing, which will be approached from New Bridge Street. The large or middle platform will also have a cab approach from Strangeways or Great Ducie Street, of about 16 yards wide with a footpath on either side, from which access to the several platforms will be obtained by inclined ways so that passengers who may have a return or contract ticket can approach directly from the street to the platform which their train departs and thus avoids passing through the booking office. These platforms will be further connected together and to the existing platforms by an inclined way from each to a spacious, well lighted, and well-ventilated subway, 24 feet wide, the walls of which will be lined with white glazed bricks. The rails above will be supported by wrought iron trough girders, and the entire spaces between the latter will be filled in with glazed deck lights, thus rendering the subway practically as light as the platforms, above rail level. The subway will be divided down the middle by a railing, the one half being for the use of passengers, and the other half for the convenience of passengers’ luggage, which latter will be hoisted by hydraulic lifts of the most approved design to the various platforms, so that passengers arriving at the general booking office by the main approach, may at once deliver their luggage to the porters, who, by means of the hoists, will deliver it to the particular train whilst the passenger may be booking. For the convenience of the residents on the Cheetham Hill side of the station, a wrought iron lattice girder footbridge, 12 feet wide, will be constructed across the east end thereof, parallel with Ducie Street, but within the company’s boundary, with an entrance at each end of the same, the spacious steps there from communicating directly to each platform, thus giving to those passengers also, who may have a return or contract ticket, direct means of access from York Street or Ducie Bridge to any particular platform of departure, in order to still further increase the facilities of access to the station from various points, the existing timber footbridge across the river Irk, leading from Long Millgate will be removed and a new bridge will be erected upon the site thereof, forming an important approach road about 15 yards wide, with footpaths on either side, to the great convenience of carriages, foot passengers, and other traffic from Corporation Street which is a requirement that has for a long time been felt by the public. From the point at which this new road approach will join the present station, another new inclined roadway will be formed, running eastward into Ducie Street, which, being also continued round the angle of the present station buildings to join the present spacious approach of Hunts Bank, will give direct carriage access from the Cheetham Hill end of the station. It will thus be observed that the station when completed will have direct means of access and egress for both carriages and foot passengers from every point at which traffic can arrive from the city and the suburbs, consisting of carriage approaches from Victoria, Corporation, Great Ducie, New Bridge Streets, and Ducie Bridge, and with four approaches from all these points, with the additional advantages of direct communication with every platform by means of bridges, subways, and inclines as previously described. Turning again to the new platforms, we find the large centre or island platform will be about 233 yards in length on each side against the rails, and of such broad capacity as to receive the important block of booking offices which will be here erected for the booking of passengers chiefly for the western division…This platform will be approached by the broad roadway with footpaths on either side from Great Ducie Street arriving up an easy incline to the cab landing, immediately in front of the booking offices. The next platform will also be an island platform about 243 yards in length on each side against the rails and will serve the arriving and departing trains for Bury, Bacup, Accrington, and the north, in addition to certain trains from the west. The outer platform next the large cab landing, approached from New Bridge Street, will be about 283 yards in length against the rails on one side only and will serve exclusively for arrivals from the west. Its great length will afford the public every facility for alighting with convenience and direct cab services at the platform for departures. The whole of the platforms will be constructed with timber flooring as affording the greatest comfort to passengers and a preventive to noise in the trucking of luggage and will each be furnished with new and commodious waiting rooms, refreshment rooms and every other convenience suitable to the requirements of a station of such magnitude. All these conveniences will be supplemented by the lettering of the various platforms in conspicuous positions in the inclines, subways, bridges, and approaches, and in such a manner as to render it next to impossible for any section of the public to get astray if they give due attention to the notices. The whole of the new portion of the station will be entirely covered by ridge and furrow roofing consisting of regular spans of 60 feet carried upon girders and columns running at right angles to the present station roofing. The principals will consist of arched ribs, the webs of which will be perforated to an artistic design. This roofing will consist mainly of glass in order that as much light as possible may be procured for the working of the station. It is intended that this roof shall extend over a large portion of the arrival and departure cab approaches thereby affording shelter to passengers in arriving and departing from the station. 

Turning to the present station we find considerable improvements and extensions are contemplated. The present bay sidings of the Oldham and Ashton platforms are to be extended westwards in the direction of Hunts Bank, about 30 yards, the present wooden buildings at this point being entirely removed to make way for the extension. It is also proposed to make a substantial addition to the present booking office building, and to largely extend the roofing over the cab approach thereto, thus affording much additional shelter and comfort to passengers. With regard to the working of the train traffic in the station we notice a very important feature to which we cannot refrain from calling attention consisting of the “scissors crossings” by which it is proposed to connect the various lines of rails about midway in the new portion of the station, by which a passenger train arriving, either from the east or west and having deposited its passengers, will be immediately shunted across to the opposite platform, and thus at once become a “departure train”. By this excellent arrangement it will be almost impossible for the station ever to become blocked in as much as the trains will have facility for leaving the station at either end thus avoiding a large expensive inconvenience and delay in “back shunting” which is always so detrimental to the convenient working of a large station if it be what is termed a “dead end” station similar to that now in use at the Oldham and Ashton platforms. In order to obtain the better access of trains to the east end of the station it is intended to utilise the site of the present Ducie Bridge station for the additional rails necessitated by the increasing requirements of the station so that the present platform accommodation at that point will be entirely removed, and the traffic belonging thereto will be transferred to one of the new platforms […]. This important work is being carried out under the direction of Mr. Meek, Mr. W. Hunt, engineers, and Mr. C. W. Green, architect. The foundations, subway, and platforms are now being rapidly pushed towards completion by Mr. Nowell, the contractor. (Manchester Evening News, 4 October 1882)