I've had the unusual pleasure for me of travelling to and from work on the Victoria stopper to Eccles for the last two days whilst the car is off the road. What immediately struck me, was compared to the Merseytravel stations on the route, how poor the facilities were at the station. Not a single timetable on the platform, no train information displays, shelters with no seats, no apparent disabled access to street level, and a platform that appears to be considerably lower than those in Merseyside. With only the Lime Street to Victoria trains stopping at the station the lack of facilities could perhaps be understandable, but with the terminus of the Metrolink service to Salford Quays and Piccadilly as well as a bus station less than five minutes walk away, why it seems that opportunities are being missed. There's a passing loop that is wired and just needs a platform face and the existing platforms appear much longer than those on Liverpool end of the line. There seems to be a potential for the station to act as an interchange for passengers travelling to Salford Quays by tram and the Trafford Centre by bus as well as for locals to certain parts of Manchester far quicker than the tram. There must be potentially hundreds of passengers who would the station, perhaps spend a little bit of money in the local shops, or pub and in doing so help regenerate the area, as well as reduce crowding at Piccadilly. Congratulations therefore go to Merseytravel for the station of their City Line Stations, they are clearly well ahead of those in the TfGM area if Eccles is anything to go by.
