Ordsall Chord Manchester

Network Rail will go ahead with the construction of the £85m Ordsall Chord rail link in Manchester, England, after a judge dismissed a legal challenge to the project.

Ordsall Chord involves the linking of Manchester’s three main railway stations Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road through a bridge.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The project is a major component of the £600m Northern Hub programme, which will allow operation of 700 more trains a day in northern England.

It is a part of £1bn improvements planned by Network Rail across the north of England under the Railway Upgrade Plan.

The project was challenged by former president of the Institute of Civil Engineers Mark Whitby on two statutory grounds of the Transport and Works Act order, one of the Listed Building Consent and a judicial review of the planning permission.

All the three claims were dismissed by Justice Lang in the Planning Court in London.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData
"We welcome this decision as the Ordsall Chord forms a key part of our Railway Upgrade Plan for the north of England."

Network Rail said the Ordsall Chord will support two new fast trains per hour between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool, six fast trains an hour between Leeds and Manchester, and a new direct service through Manchester city centre to Manchester Airport. It will also provide faster journey times to Hull, Newcastle and the North East.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We welcome this decision as the Ordsall Chord forms a key part of our Railway Upgrade Plan for the north of England.

"More than £1bn is being invested to provide passengers with better services and we plan to start work on the Ordsall Chord as soon as possible."

The project was initially planned to be started in September and completed in 2016. It is now expected to be completed in 2017.

Image: The Ordsall Chord project is expected to be completed in 2017. Photo: courteys of Network Rail

Railway Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Railway Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact across the defence sector.

Excellence in Action
MTR Corporation and Dragages Hong Kong triumphed in three categories – Research & Development, Environmental and Safety – for their Kwu Tung Station project . Learn how this future Northern Link–East Rail Line interchange sets new benchmarks in digital construction, decarbonisation and safety management.

Discover the Impact