Practice creates city-centre and airport hubs for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse strategy

Bennetts Associates has created concept designs for two new rail hubs to serve the Manchester City Region as part of a growth strategy aimed at capitalising on the potential of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The practice’s Manchester office worked with the city council, the city region’s combined authority, Transport for Greater Manchester and engineer Mott MacDonald to create a vision for two “world class” rail hubs to demonstrate the possibilities of the rail developments.

Manchester is the terminus for phase 2A of HS2, which will provide fast services linking the city with London via Manchester Airport in just one hour and eight minutes. Northern Powerhouse Rail, which is the new name for HS3, offers upgraded connections and improved network capacity between Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Hull.

Proposals for a new station at Manchester Airport, created by Bennetts Associates for Greater Manchester Combined Authority's 'The Stop Is Just The Start' strategy document

Proposals for a new station at Manchester Airport, created by Bennetts Associates for Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ‘The Stop Is Just The Start’ strategy document

Bennetts said its proposals, contained in the “The Stop is Just the Start” strategy created for Greater Manchester Combined Authority, were one-station solutions created to encourage infrastructure stakeholders to cooperate on fully integrating national, regional and local transport modes in facilities to rival those of other global cities.

Bennetts director Julian Lipscombe said the practice was delighted to have supported the combined authority – which brings together the city region’s 10 councils – on the study.

“Our work with Mott MacDonald aims to achieve a strength of vision that will enable all stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcome for Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse”.

Bennetts Associates' visualisation how an upgraded Manchester Piccadilly Station could look

Bennetts Associates’ visualisation how an upgraded Manchester Piccadilly Station could look. It was created for Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ’The Stop is Just the Start’ strategy

Strategic studies for the stations’ surrounding areas envisage the creation of thousands of homes and jobs with supporting amenities in distinctive and sustainable new districts.

The strategy document said that HS2, which is due to reach Manchester by 2033, would make the city’s Piccadilly Station one of the best-connected and productive locations in the north and create 40,000 new jobs, 13,000 new homes and new commercial developments in the area.

Earlier this year, Grimshaw Architects and Wilkinson Eyre were confirmed as project architects for stations on HS2 phase 1, which will link Euston Station in London with a revivified Curzon Street Station in Birmingham. 

Grimshaw will deliver Euston with Arup and Curzon Street with WSP; Wilkinson Eyre will deliver Old Oak Common Station with WSP and Birmingham Interchange with Arup.

Proposals for an enhanced station at Manchester Piccadilly, created by Bennetts Associates for Greater Manchester Combined Authority's 'The Stop Is Just The Start' strategy document

Proposals for an enhanced station at Manchester Piccadilly, created by Bennetts Associates for Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ‘The Stop Is Just The Start’ strategy document