Manchester Piccadilly Station

Manchester Piccadilly is supposed to be the main gateway to our fantastic city and it is, but is it a gateway worthy of our city? For the most parts, yes, it is.
Fourteen platforms, a number of cafes, shops, ample cash machines, trams, information boards, connectivity to pretty much everywhere in the country, it has it all.
As for train companies, it has Virgin Trains to London, First Transpennine, East Midlands, Arriva and the delightfully «punctual» Northern Trains. And it is the Northern Rail’s facilities or lack of them that takes away a star, straight away from what happens to be an excellent train station otherwise. However franchises like Virgin Trains and Transpennine make you feel sanguine about the whole situation.
There’s one more thing that takes away another star. Having to pay to use the loo, I mean using the loo is one of the basic human biological needs. Paying, simply to be a human being, is wrong on so many different levels, right. It’s not how much you pay, but the principle behind it.
Anyway, my other, bigger gripe is Northern Rail. Late services, help points constantly closed (even in crisis times) and a staff with an absolute lack of empathy make it a horrible experience, especially during peak hours. What ought to make you feel like you’re entering the Garden of Eden, guarded by whatever pleasant things guard it, instead makes you feel like you’re entering the Black Gates of Mordor, guarded by Orcs! But, just like LOTR had hope, in the form of Frodo with the one ring, I also have some semblance of hope with the new franchises being awarded. After all hope is the lifeline of humanity and I hope that this lifeline provides a better train line and experience for those who travel on Northern Rail.
These two gripes apart, I think Manchester Piccadilly does a damn good job of being a train station.

I judge my train stations on two things. 1) Can I easily get where I am going. And 2) Can I pick up some snacks and a drink before hopping on the train.
The answer is yes for both of the things here.
It’s not gigantic but it’s well marked and you can find the trains easy enough if you’re leaving or the exits and taxis if you have just arrived. The station is well cleaned, well lit and people will help you if you ask them for help.
No real complaints, easy enough to travel from here, which was nice.

La reseña 100 de esta estación es la mía. Bueno número para destacar uno de los centros neurálgicos de Mánchester, que ofrece una red de transportes públicos envidiable y a la altura de la gran capital europea que es, pese a no ser muy grande en tamaño.
Nosotros estuvimos tres días en la ciudad y la estación fue nuestro punto clave de entrada y salida a la ciudad, con trenes directos desde Londres y acceso rápido a la calle y al servicio de Metrolink, que es un auténtico gustazo.
Como toda estación británica, parece más un centro comercial debido a la buena cantidad de tiendas, supermercados, cafeterías y restaurantes que aloja. Pero no por eso es una estación incómoda, sino todo lo contrario, pues el acceso a los andenes es muy ágil y sencillo y la información sobre los trenes es muy rápida de consultar.
Si además le añadimos que ofrece WiFi gratis… ¿qué más quiere un guiri como yo aquí? :P

Manchester Piccadilly ist wohl der Hauptknotenpunkt in Manchester, wo die meisten Besucher ankommen.
Man ist von dort sehr schnell im Zentrum!
Entweder man nimmt die Metrolink und fährt eine
Station bis Piccadilly Gardens oder man läuft einfach!
Es dauert keine 5 Minuten und man ist im Zentrum von Manchester. Ich finde der Bahnhof ist sehr übersichtlich.
Es gibt große Tafeln, wo man immer sehen kann wann
und wo der nächste Zug fährt.

I always find myself in Manchester so I’m pretty familiar with this train station. Edinburgh to Manchester Piccadilly is about 3 hours with no train change so it’s pretty convenient.
This station is huge and can get crowded. They have a small area to buy tickets so it sucks when you’re in a hurry to get your ticket cause of the long queue. My advice is give yourself at least 20 minutes before you have to board your train to collect your ticket otherwise you’ll miss it.
There’s loads of places to eat and shop in this station. On the second floor there’s sit down restaurants and on the ground level there’s places like sainburys, boots, and delis to get snacks for your journey.
Some stations are like a maze but this one is easy to navigate because of the many monitors it has to let you know which platform your train will be on. The large numbers above the entry way for the platform also helps.
Happy travels!