Manchester Piccadilly

If you don’t want to rush, the first thing to know if your train will be departing from this part of Manchester Piccadilly station, is that you need to allow a minimum of 3 – 5 minutes between exiting the main concourse and boarding your train.

A series of moving walkways on platforms (tracks) 10 and 11 link the concourse to a bridge at the opposite end of the station which spans the railway lines – there is also a less obvious lift (elevator) at the mid-point of platform 10, which leads up to this bridge.
This bridge across the station is the location of the ‘Platform 13 and 14 Lounge’, which houses a coffee/snack bar and toilets – seats are also available.

The idea is that you wait in this lounge for your train instead of waiting on the platform/track.
A  traffic light system is used on the main departure board housed within this lounge – blue means wait in the lounge, orange = make your way to the platform (track) and green = this train will be next to depart.Platforms 13 and 14 have their own separate ‘traffic-light’ systems.

Only one lift/elevator leads down to the platform (track) –13 is one side and 14 is on the other – therefore queues can build up for this elevator, so if you want to use it, ignore the ‘traffic-light’ system and be waiting by the elevator around 10 mins before your train is due to leave.

So making the transfer between the main concourse and these distant platforms (tracks) can be step-free, but if you want to use the lifts (elevators), you should allow a minimum of 15 minutes between exiting the concourse and being on the platform.

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Though if you take a taxi to Piccadilly and if you know your train will be departing from platforms (tracks) 13 or 14, you can take a short-cut.
On the right hand side of the taxi drop off area, as you face the station, there is a lift (elevator) up to this part of the station – it’s at the opposite end of the taxi area to the main access points from there into the station

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These platforms 13 and 14 resemble a busy metro station, multiple trains per hour leave from each of them, so you need to pay close attention to the departure screens and the destinations which will be shown on the fronts and sides of most of the trains – staff are also available

If you have a reserved seat, it will be in a specific coach on the train, but few of the trains that use this part of the station are more than 4 cars long,  so the best option can be to wait in the middle, and then look for the coach number info on the outsides of the train.

Platform 13 is where the trains to Manchester Airport and the East Midlands trains to Norwich via Sheffield*, Nottingham and Ely depart from.
*If you’re heading to Sheffield SMTJ recommends taking the TPE services instead – if the prices and departure times suit – as they depart from the main part of Piccadilly station

Platform 14 is used by these train services:

Though if you will be heading to Middlesbrough, Newcastle or York from Manchester city centre AND you can book online in advance –meaning that you’ll have reserved seats, ShowMeTheJourney recommends joining these trains at Manchester Victoria station.
The access to these trains is less convoluted at Victoria and your end-to-end journey will also be faster, because these trains make their final call in Manchester at Victoria station.

Though if you will be booking tickets last minute station, so you won’t have assigned seats, you’ll have more chance of claiming a spare seats(s) if you join these trains at Piccadilly.

Also try to avoid these trains that depart from this part of Piccadilly station if you will be travelling to Leeds.
The hourly Trans Pennine Express trains, which call at Leeds on route to Hull, depart from the part of Piccadilly station, which is right by the main concourse.
Or if the starting point of your journey to Leeds is in Manchester city centre, head to Victoria station, as it has 5 x trains per hour to Leeds.

If you will be heading to Liverpool from Manchester city centre, ShowMeTheJourney’s suggestion is to take the alternative Trans Pennine Express trains from Victoria station.
They’re slightly faster and just as frequent, but Victoria is a simpler train station to use - and if you book the journey online you’ll have an assigned seat(s).