Dspatula
Member
The solution as much as a single project can be called a solution is to go ahead with the existing plan of 4 through platforms at Piccadilly and Oxford Road given that now that many trains are 5/6 cars it effectively drops Oxford road to two through platforms. Taking the platform reoccupation time from 4 minutes to 8 minutes will have a huge effect on reliability, at Piccadilly it means trains will no longer be forced to wait at Slade lane junction pushing delays on to other services and would prevent the issue I’ve seen a few times with trains being released in the wrong order and sitting on 14 until correct departure time with all the other trains stuck until its gone. Oxford Road has the same problem but it can’t be solved unless Deansgate closes at which point trains can be brought in as they arrive rather than having to sit on the wrong side of busy junctions because they have to wait for late trains that don’t stop at Deansgate. Timetable changes might reduce the issues but it won’t change the fact that Oxford Road and Piccadilly 13/14 are already no longer fit for purpose.