Salford Central Railway Station

I use this train station every day to get to work and to be honest there really shouldn’t be a lot to write about! It has two platforms and runs a fairly limited service in comparison to other train stations in the area. There are vending machines on each platform which just look a little bit sad so I really wish there was a coffee cart or something on a morning so I can grab my morning pick-​me-​up!
All this aside, I love this station! the staff are the same every morning so we have built up a rapport and I love my morning chat with them, they are so friendly and helpful to everyone! It is always clean and I love being handed my morning copy of the Metro by the cheery guy out front.
Another amazing thing about this station is the little gem that is Companio Bakery. This is an amazing community supported Bakery based in Ancoats, it produces delicious Artisan Breads and Pastries. On a Thursday, between 4 – 6 (perfectly timed for when I finish work!), the owner, Russell Goodwin, runs a little cart opposite the ticket office. He also goes to Victoria Station on a Tuesday. If you see him you must try the Savoury Danish!
For a station that is now in a prime location, I love that it feels more personal than other bigger stations.

Me reviewing train stations is starting to become a trend, however now that I spend a heck of a lot of time in various stations, I feel they deserve credit/​criticism like rest of the venues or businesses I visit.
Salford central is now in a prime location, not because it moved but because the area around it has developed so much to give you amazing options whether you want to eat, drink or play.
It’s a matter of minutes on foot from Spinningfields and it’s actually not even that far to walk to the Arndale from here!
They’ve spent some money doing it up and parts of it look very nice however some parts still need a face lifts — the platforms being one! There also never seems to be anyone checking tickets when I walk through? Which my queue-​skipping 14 year old self would’ve loved, however now being 24 I don’t mind paying for my tickets!

Standard 10 guards to check tickets. all but one obviously passed the customer service tests (miserable as sin)

Salford Central station is on the line for trains heading in or out of Manchester Victoria and is my local train station.
It’s a small station with only two platforms but has been built under the railway bridge and thus has some interesting features.
It has newly been refurbished and the ticket office and main station entrance is quite nice.
Also, the platforms are really low at this station so watch out for the huge step down from the trains onto the platforms! It’s a bit of a drop.

A small station but useful for getting into central Manchester, as not everybody wants to go Victoria if something is on at the arena, so salford central is few minutes down the road form spinningfields and deansgate road. Its also cheaper than the tram to go to the outskirts of manchester!
Be aware it can be a bit busy around 1630 –1800hrs

Salford Central is an accessible station for the cyclist, wheelchair user and prams, with ramps and lifts all the way to both platforms without any need to use stairs — nice!
One thing I don’t understand, though, is that every other train station in the country seems to adhere to a standard gap of about six inches between the level of the platforms and train, whereas here it is more like eighteen inches — which should certainly put our Nan with her full shopping trolley through her paces!
Emma-​Louise makes a good point about the uneveness of the station design, but personally I like most of it. I would recommend any of the gorgeous stainless steel railings on the city approach, the huge glass and concrete atrium and the restored brick tunnels (see my atmospheric nightime photo) as backdrops for a fashion shoot. Whereas the flimsy tin roof on the platforms lets the side down, although it will keep you dry. With so much cash spent on the foyer and tunnels, surely they should have budgeted more for platform shelters and maybe landscaping the derelict rail line. Thing is, with regard to the luxurious better to have public transport over-​specified and than under, with room for growth. And maybe they should do something with all that space — how about a few buskers in the tunnels, a food trailer and seats in the foyer? Salford Central certainly completely lacks the hugely friendly vibe of Oxford Road station! It’s not that I talk to strangers at Oxford Road, more that I find it harder to relate to them as human beings in the monolithic environment of Salford Central.
With the ongoing regeneration of the local area, I’m wondering how this rail station fits in. Nearby Caribbean Flavas is nice, and there are pubs which will let you use their toilets, which the station lacks. There are new retail units for let in the railway arches across the road, but uptake seems to be slow. Here’s hoping the rest of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place!

Salford Central will test your jumping ability big time. I’m not entirely sure what went wrong: either rails were put too high, or the platform was built too low, or if the trains grew taller. Whatever the reason, be prepared to make a big step down or up — certainly a challenge if you are a lady in pencil skirt. Also bear in mind that this station doesn’t cater for human beings’ basic need to relieve themselves. Do note the old red-​and-​white railway bridge that runs behind The Bailey building. Not only is it old, it also adds a spark to Bridge St and surrounding area.

Talk about your dichotomy. Salford Central is such a bizarre juxtaposition of ultra-​contemporary versus old it’s not even postmodern any more. It’s something else. Something much darker and more dangerous. Well, not really. Although certain elements of it do feel a little dark and dangerous.
In the past few years it’s undergone a refurb. The brunette often visits me from this station, and upon her first time coming from here I popped over there to guide her back to my apartment. Surprised, I certainly was. The glass frontage is very impressive, although it does seem somewhat vestigial. It’s the largest and most seemingly pointless entrance hall I’ve ever seen. I’d understand its existence if it actually had seats instead of the odd random bit of wall you might just about manage to perch your bot on. Indeed, it has screens informing you which trains are arriving and departing, which any station should have, but Salford Central, really… why have you built this if there’s no use for it? Where’s the Pumpkin Café, the Urban Baguette, the Crunchy Pasty… okay, I am just making names up now but you get the point. It just seems like a gargantuan waste of space. Not in a horrible way, just in a… ‘uh?’ kind of way. Not even a vending machine? Really? This could be a great station, it’s certainly big enough.
What it does have, which I discovered when I was most unready, is a man behind a bit of plastic. Yes, I was gingerly walking along, trying to find my way around this Escher-​like creation, when a random voice called to me, asking if it could help. Where the hell was it coming from? There was no front desk… Ah, yes, there we go, put the man behind the bit of plastic right behind the corner of the wall so he remains unseen until he calls out to you, shocking you to the core. Seriously, you’d understand if you were stood in that starkly lit vast entrance hall with no one else around. It’s the perfect setting for a horror movie. Anyway, he helped me, even though I knew where I was going. He was very over-​zealous and I felt sorry for him.
When it comes to actually getting into the platforms, well, they might as well have installed a time machine. Suddenly you walk through a vast, ancient tunnel, again, apt for a horror movie, and neo-​Gothically spooky. Upon entering the platform, there you are in the sixties. Everything looks a bit grotty and there are spiders everywhere. Nightmare for me, but I just made sure I didn’t stand under any. It really is the weirdest train station, I waxed lyrical about it as soon as the brunette hopped off her train. ‘Isn’t this horrifying?’ I said as I guided her through the tunnel.
‘Why?’ she asked.
Help me out, why don’t you. She did, however, appreciate that the entrance hall was just ridiculous. Maybe they haven’t finished it yet… I shall keep you posted. In the meantime, it’s worth taking a train from here just for the entertainment involved. Seriously, it’s bizarre. And therefore, I suppose, pretty interesting.

A quiet little station in between Salford Crescent and Manchester Victoria. Doubtless in days gone by it played a more major role in the local railway network, but now it is a bit run-​down (despite recent investment) and rather peripheral to the train system in Manchester. I suppose that possibly the main reason it stays open it that there are plenty of offices nearby; although I’ve only ever used the station off-​peak myself I can imagine it could be quite busy during the commuter rush-​hour.