Manchester Airport railway station

Manchester Airport station stands nine and three-quarter miles south of Manchester Piccadilly on a short branch from the Styal Line. It opened in 1993 with the second air terminal and sits between Heald Green and Styal stations. A triangular junction links the station to the airport complex. British Rail built the station and later added a third platform in 2008 at a cost of £15 million. Network Rail noted the new platform reduced late-running trains terminating at Piccadilly. Plans for a fourth platform began in 2012 and were completed by 2015. The station serves as a transport interchange for trains, trams, buses and coaches. TransPennine Express, Northern Trains and Transport for Wales operate services from here. Eight trains per hour run to Manchester Piccdilly and beyond, with routes extending to Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blackpool, Liverpool and Chester. The Manchester Metrolink tram line was extended to the airport in 2014, running every twelve minutes to Manchester Victoria. The station connects to the airport terminal via escalators, lifts, ramps and an elevated covered walkway known as the Sky Link. Visitors find a staffed railway ticket office inside the terminal building. The station platforms are eight carriage lengths long, allowing two four-carriage trains to stop at once. A fourth platform was added to accommodate longer trains of six carriages or more. The Metrolink stop lies adjacent to the railway station and is the terminus of the Airport Line. The station is signposted simply as The Station throughout the airport complex.