Picc-Vic tunnel
Encyclopedia
Picc-Vic was a proposed, and later cancelled, underground railway designed in the early 1970s with the purpose of connecting two major mainline railway terminals in central Manchester
, England
. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two station names, Manchester Piccadilly
and Manchester Victoria
. The proposal envisaged the construction of an underground tunnel across Manchester city centre. The scheme was abandoned in 1977 during its proposal stages due to excessive costs. In 2011, the Ordsall Chord
was announced; it is a overground railway scheme designed to link Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria in a comparible fashion to Picc-Vic.
The railway network built in the 19th and 20th centuries by numerous railway companies resulted in various unconnected railway termini around the periphery of Manchester city centre
. Unlike central London
, which had linked its stations with the London Underground
, Manchester had a large area of its central business district which was not served by rail transport.
(GMPTE) in 1974 - made a proposal in the early-1970s to connect the unjoined railways running through Manchester city centre under the Picc-Vic scheme. The Picc-Vic proposal envisaged joining the two halves of the rail network by constructing new tunnels under the city centre, connecting Manchester's two main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. This new underground railway would be served by three new underground stations, joining together the regional, national and local rail networks with an underground rapid transit
system for Manchester.
The objectives of the Picc-Vic tunnel were threefold:
It formed part of a four-phase, Long Term Strategy for GMPTE over 25 years, which included bus priority, an East-West railway network, as well as a light rapid transport system.
took on the project, it was unable to secure the necessary funding from central government.
There would be two separate tracks, each electrified on the 25kV AC system. In the deep tunnel section there would be separate bores for each track. The track would consist of continuous welded rails on concrete foundations - 'slab track'. The tunnel would be controlled by BR's standard three-aspect colourlight system together with their automatic warning system (AWS). This would permit train frequencies of 90 seconds, although initial proposals envisaged a 2.5 minute headway.
Piccadilly Low Level would be a side-platform station, built in a 'cut-and-cover' section, with a mezzanine level concourse. Escalators would take passengers to both the Picc-Vic and East-West platforms, along with a subway-escalator link to the mainline station concourse, and a direct link to a new 12-stand bus station, next to the new station. Victory House, a planned development by UMIST
(now the University of Manchester
), would also be served by the station.
Princess Street (or Whitworth) would have been built on the site of the present Whitworth House, with a direct link to the proposed major development north and east of the station, as well as serving the Manchester College
site (formerly City College Manchester
, previously Shena Simon College, and before that the Mather College of Education), UMIST, as well as other developments.
Albert Square/St. Peter's Square (or Central), serving the administrative and entertainment parts of the city, would have six entrances in St Peter's Square, together with a bus lay-by, part of a re-designed square. Albert Square would also be redesigned, with a concourse beneath the square, along with a direct link into the Heron House development and a travelator link to Oxford Road railway station.
Market Street (or Royal Exchange) would have lain beneath the junction of Corporation Street, Cross Street, and Market Street, directly linking into the Royal Exchange
, Marks & Spencer, as well as the Arndale Centre
.
Victoria Low Level would have a concourse below Long Millgate, serving the Co-Operative HQ and the Corn Exchange
. Development of the Picc-Vic would also allow the main line station to be rationalised and redeveloped, along with a proposed new bus station.
, a light-rail system in Greater Manchester, was proposed in 1984 as a means to connect Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Victoria; it opened in 1992. In 2008, over 30 years after the project was cancelled, prospects of an underground rail link under Manchester were revived by Transport Secretary and MP
for Bolton West
, Ruth Kelly
, who announced a Department for Transport
study of rail provision. In the 2011 United Kingdom budget
, it was announced that the Ordsall Chord
would instead be constructed as an overground railway scheme designed to link Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria in a comparible fashion to Picc-Vic.
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two station names, Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
and Manchester Victoria
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...
. The proposal envisaged the construction of an underground tunnel across Manchester city centre. The scheme was abandoned in 1977 during its proposal stages due to excessive costs. In 2011, the Ordsall Chord
Ordsall Chord
The Ordsall Chord is a short proposed railway line in the Ordsall area of Greater Manchester. When constructed, it will provide a direct rail link between and...
was announced; it is a overground railway scheme designed to link Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria in a comparible fashion to Picc-Vic.
Background
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
. Unlike central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, which had linked its stations with the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, Manchester had a large area of its central business district which was not served by rail transport.
Proposal
The South-East Lancashire and North-East Cheshire Public Transport Executive (SELNEC PTE) - the local transport authority which became the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport ExecutiveGreater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
Transport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
(GMPTE) in 1974 - made a proposal in the early-1970s to connect the unjoined railways running through Manchester city centre under the Picc-Vic scheme. The Picc-Vic proposal envisaged joining the two halves of the rail network by constructing new tunnels under the city centre, connecting Manchester's two main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. This new underground railway would be served by three new underground stations, joining together the regional, national and local rail networks with an underground rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system for Manchester.
The objectives of the Picc-Vic tunnel were threefold:
- To improve the distribution arrangements from the existing railway stations which are on the periphery of the central core
- To link the separated northern and southern railway systems
- To improve passenger movement within the central area.
It formed part of a four-phase, Long Term Strategy for GMPTE over 25 years, which included bus priority, an East-West railway network, as well as a light rapid transport system.
Cancellation
The Picc-Vic scheme was abandoned in 1977 owing to excessive cost. An underground excavation and construction project required a large initial outlay of public funds, and when the Greater Manchester County CouncilGreater Manchester County Council
The Greater Manchester County Council — also known as the Greater Manchester Council — was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986...
took on the project, it was unable to secure the necessary funding from central government.
Route
The proposed new link would have been 2.75 miles (4.4 km) long, and run from Ardwick Junction, a mile south of Piccadilly Station, to Queens Road Junction on the Bury line, about three-quarters of a mile north of Victoria. Just over 2 miles (3.2 km) of the new line would have been in tunnel, most of which would be 60-70 feet beneath the centre of Manchester. The southern approach ramp would have been built on the surface and in a shallow tunnel.There would be two separate tracks, each electrified on the 25kV AC system. In the deep tunnel section there would be separate bores for each track. The track would consist of continuous welded rails on concrete foundations - 'slab track'. The tunnel would be controlled by BR's standard three-aspect colourlight system together with their automatic warning system (AWS). This would permit train frequencies of 90 seconds, although initial proposals envisaged a 2.5 minute headway.
Stations
Five new central area stations were planned on the Picc-Vic line, including two low-level platforms at Piccadilly and Victoria stations. Each would have been built on a straight section of track and would have taken trains of up to 8-cars. There would have been escalators to the surface level, and lifts for the disabled. CIS and PA systems would be installed, along with CCTV to make high staffing levels unnecessary.Piccadilly Low Level would be a side-platform station, built in a 'cut-and-cover' section, with a mezzanine level concourse. Escalators would take passengers to both the Picc-Vic and East-West platforms, along with a subway-escalator link to the mainline station concourse, and a direct link to a new 12-stand bus station, next to the new station. Victory House, a planned development by UMIST
UMIST
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research...
(now the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
), would also be served by the station.
Princess Street (or Whitworth) would have been built on the site of the present Whitworth House, with a direct link to the proposed major development north and east of the station, as well as serving the Manchester College
The Manchester College
The Manchester College is a further education college in Manchester, England. It opened on 1 August 2008 as the result of a merger between City College Manchester and Manchester College of Arts and Technology to form a 'supercollege'...
site (formerly City College Manchester
City College Manchester
City College Manchester was a network of further education campuses in Manchester, England.It was the largest provider of "Offender Learning" in the Greater Manchester region.-Merger with MANCAT in 2008:...
, previously Shena Simon College, and before that the Mather College of Education), UMIST, as well as other developments.
Albert Square/St. Peter's Square (or Central), serving the administrative and entertainment parts of the city, would have six entrances in St Peter's Square, together with a bus lay-by, part of a re-designed square. Albert Square would also be redesigned, with a concourse beneath the square, along with a direct link into the Heron House development and a travelator link to Oxford Road railway station.
Market Street (or Royal Exchange) would have lain beneath the junction of Corporation Street, Cross Street, and Market Street, directly linking into the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed Victorian building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street...
, Marks & Spencer, as well as the Arndale Centre
Manchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale is a large shopping centre in Manchester, England. The centre was built in the 1970s when many other cities were constructing large malls. Manchester Arndale is the largest of a chain of Arndale Centres built across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s...
.
Victoria Low Level would have a concourse below Long Millgate, serving the Co-Operative HQ and the Corn Exchange
Corn Exchange, Manchester
The Triangle is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. The building was originally used as a corn exchange and was previously named the Corn & Produce Exchange. Following the IRA bomb in 1996 it was renovated and is now a modern shopping mall....
. Development of the Picc-Vic would also allow the main line station to be rationalised and redeveloped, along with a proposed new bus station.
Legacy
Projects at Bury Interchange, Altrincham Interchange, and Hazel Grove Branch electrification/improvement were completed, despite the overall scheme being abandoned. MetrolinkManchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
, a light-rail system in Greater Manchester, was proposed in 1984 as a means to connect Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Victoria; it opened in 1992. In 2008, over 30 years after the project was cancelled, prospects of an underground rail link under Manchester were revived by Transport Secretary and MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bolton West
Bolton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton West is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
, who announced a Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
study of rail provision. In the 2011 United Kingdom budget
2011 United Kingdom budget
The 2011 United Kingdom budget, officially called 2011 Budget - A strong and stable economy, growth and fairness, was delivered by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the House of Commons on 23 March 2011....
, it was announced that the Ordsall Chord
Ordsall Chord
The Ordsall Chord is a short proposed railway line in the Ordsall area of Greater Manchester. When constructed, it will provide a direct rail link between and...
would instead be constructed as an overground railway scheme designed to link Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria in a comparible fashion to Picc-Vic.