Morgan Sindall is main contractor on a 拢44m transformation of the Grade II listed building. A key component is the new roof, which allows for future expansion of the station.
The work is part of Network Rail鈥檚 wider 拢1bn+ Northern Hub and North West Electrification Programme.
Steelwork subcontractor Severfield began lifting into place the first of 15 giant curved ribs that will support the roof in May.
On Saturday 2nd August the ninth and largest steel rib was lifted in to place using a Liebherr LR 1750 lattice boom crawler crane, supplied by Weldex.
Measuring nearly 100 metres long and weighing nearly 70 tonnes, the beam was lowered into place to form the corner section of the station鈥檚 new roof.
Later this month, work will begin to install the roof鈥檚 ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) panels, a lighter and cheaper alternative to glass. The material, which is used at Manchester Piccadilly station, Birmingham New Street station and the Eden Project in Cornwall, will allow natural light into the station.
All curved steelworks are expected to be in place by mid September. In total, Severfield is supplying and erecting some 1,900 tonnes of structural steel, with the project's scope also involving the construction of a mezzanine floor to link the station to the Phones4U Arena as well as lifts and a feature staircase.
The remaining roof sections will be installed over the next few months with the whole station redevelopment scheduled for completion in early 2015.
Severfield chief executive Ian Lawson said: "The eye catching canopy roof will be the latest of our steel structures to become an iconic urban landmark, following hard on the heels of the Philharmonie de Paris and the Clyde Gateway Smartbridge.鈥�
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