Kier to Deliver £115m Manchester Airport Station Upgrade

Kier will start work this winter on a £115m upgrade of Manchester Airport station, one of Britain's busiest rail interchanges. Network Rail and Kier will deliver the programme through to 2028 as part of the wider Manchester Rail Upgrade.

The contract covers three core interventions: extending platforms 1, 2 and 3 to accommodate longer trains, remodelling the station approach tracks, and modernising signalling to support more frequent and reliable services.

Simon Daly, Network Rail senior sponsor, said: "This £115m investment represents a major commitment to improving one of the country's most important transport interchanges."

What happens first?

Engineers will tackle the first major milestone on 6 December, closing the station for one day to install a utility bridge carrying electrical cables across the railway.

That installation prepares the ground for the removal of an existing bridge used by Manchester Airport Group, scheduled for Easter 2027. A replacement bridge will be built later that year.

Why does the station need the work?

The programme aims to unlock capacity for future passenger growth and strengthen rail links to the airport. Extending the three platforms means longer trains can serve the station, while the track remodelling and signalling overhaul are designed to increase service frequency and reliability.

Daly said: "Manchester Airport station plays a vital role in connecting people across the country so 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."

What is the wider context?

The station project forms one element of the Manchester Rail Upgrade, the multi-year Network Rail programme that will run alongside Kier's work at the airport until 2028. The full sequence — utility bridge in December, airport group bridge removal at Easter 2027, replacement later that year — sets the construction rhythm for the next three years at the interchange.