Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Piccadilly station was refurbished, taking five years and costing £100 million (in 2002); it was the most expensive improvement on the UK rail network at the time.

[7][8][9] In June 1840, the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR) opened a temporary terminus on its line to Stockport on Travis Street.

The station was shared from the beginning with the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway (SA&MR) following an agreement made by the promoters in 1837.

Between 1880 and 1883, the LNWR widened its side of the station and built more platforms, which were covered by two more 69 ft (21 m) wide arched spans to the trainshed.

[11][17] In 1897, the MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway (GCR); it opened its own direct route from the station to London in 1899.

[11] Between 1958 and 1966, London Road was rebuilt in the West Coast Main Line modernisation programme undertaken by British Railways.

The station was reconstructed in two phases, 1958–1960 and 1963–1966; the break was the result of a national credit squeeze restricting funding for railway modernisation.

The LNWR goods warehouse alongside the station approach closed in 1965 and a curved office block, Gateway House, was opened in its place in 1969.

The project was cancelled in the late 1970s, because of the high cost, and transport planners turned instead towards light rail as a lower-cost option.

[11][18] Between 1988 and 1989, Piccadilly's through platforms 13 and 14 were further lengthened,[24][25] in conjunction with the opening of the Windsor Link chord in Salford, which allowed trains from places to the north of Manchester, such as Bolton, Preston, Blackpool and Scotland, to run directly into Piccadilly via the through platforms and continue south to destinations such as Stockport, Buxton and (from 1993 onwards) Manchester Airport.

A new main entrance and enlarged concourse with a mezzanine level, designed by BDP, replaced the 1960s structure, which had become insufficient for the number of passengers regularly using the station.

A moving walkway was installed to take passengers from the concourse to platforms 13 and 14 on the far south side of the station, which had previously necessitated a long walk.

Another entrance was also created on Fairfield Street, which provides access to a new taxi rank along with a drop-off point for private cars.

Between 1997 and 1999, the station roof was refurbished and the traditional cladding was replaced with around 10,000 panes of toughened glass that 'float' above the wrought iron trusses.

Between 1997 and 2002, a redevelopment programme revised the station's layout and a glass partition wall with ticket barriers separating the concourse from the platforms was constructed.

[36] The station's approach leading to the end of Piccadilly was constructed in 1969 along with the "wavy" fronted Gateway House designed by the architect Richard Seifert.

Above it at track level is a concourse into which the main entrance feeds, housing ticket offices, information points, seating, timetables, toilets, shops, and food and drink outlets.

[citation needed] Cycle racks are available on Fairfield Street and the long-stay car park and next to the tower block at the station front.

During March 2010, Manchester City Council and Network Rail unveiled plans for a 'Cycle Centre' to provide secure facilities and on-site maintenance and hire services.

To the south of Piccadilly, on the opposite side of Fairfield Street, is the derelict Manchester Mayfield station, which was closed for railway use in 1986.

North TransPennine South TransPennine Anglo-Scottish Route Piccadilly Metrolink tram stop is located at ground level in the undercroft underneath the main line station; an area of the station which was historically used for warehousing,[11] it is one of nine stops serving Manchester city centre, within the system's Zone 1.

As the stop was located directly underneath the main line station platforms, the then station operator British Rail required that it be built inside a protective concrete box, in order to protect the cast iron supports for the main line platforms from the possibility of collision or fire damage.

[45] Provision for a second stop at ground-level to the east of the high speed station called Piccadilly Central is also proposed to provide for future expansions of the Metrolink network.

[49] A pair of through platforms would be constructed at Piccadilly and the station linked to Manchester Victoria via the Ordsall Chord, cutting journey times on Trans-Pennine routes.

[50][51] The construction of the Ordsall Chord made it possible for trains from the airport to travel via platforms 13 and 14 and Oxford Road to Manchester Victoria and Leeds and via the Calder Valley Line to Bradford Interchange.

[55] The proposals would simplify train operations at Piccadilly, creating close associations between pairs of lines leading out of the station and particular platforms while requiring only a few crossing moves.

[56] In July 2013, Network Rail consulted on three options for the additional platforms at Piccadilly, all of which would affect local roads and the Grade II listed Star and Garter public house.

[58] In 2023, Network Rail stated plans for the new platforms had been shelved to allow improvements to Manchester Victoria and Salford Crescent stations to go ahead instead.

[59] To accommodate High Speed 2 (HS2), an extension would require four platforms and a 7.5 miles (12.1 km) tunnel under south Manchester to join the West Coast Main Line at Ardwick.

The importance of directly integrating this underground facility with the existing Piccadilly Station has been emphasised as well; however, the report observes that the necessary financing for the programme is still lacking.