Rail

The roof was defective in several locations due to a combination of age, corrosion of steelwork caused by exposure to the prevailing weather and to the aggressive environment created by the smoke and other contaminants from the earlier use with steam engines. There was also damage to the roof structure and cladding caused by the 1996 IRA bomb that had been detonated in Manchester city centre.

The design work undertaken by JNP Group related to the replacement or strengthening of steelwork trusses, the modification of a large steel lattice girder over the entrance to the adjacent MEN Arena, to which access can be gained from the station concourse, the replacement of existing patent glazing with a new glazing system, removal of damaged asbestos cladding of the front screens of the roof and the removal of decayed timber overhead access walkways and their replacement with new steel ones.

The works were undertaken as part of the upgrading of the Mancunian transport infrastructure in preparation for the holding of the Commonwealth Games.