The 'rusty' Ordsall Chord railway line has won a coveted architectural award - and could now be crowned as the best new building in the country.
The line links Manchester Victoria with Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations and the £85m project's centrepiece is the stunning asymmetrical bridge over the River Irwell.
It's the only rail design of its kind in the world.
But ever since the line's construction and opening one question has dominated.
Why is the bridge rusty?
Actually, the bridge's 1,600-tonne steelwork has been allowed to rust naturally in the Manchester rain as part of its charm.
Within a week, its silver coating had weathered to its current look to give a natural finish in keeping with the bridge's surroundings.
And the engineering team has been proved right.
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For the Ordsall Chord, part of Network Rail's Great North Rail Project and designed by architect Peter Jenkins of BDP, has been announced as one of 54 national award winners by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
It will now go onto the official longlist for the RIBA Stirling Award, together with the refurbishment of the listed 1960s Preston bus station, Battersea Arts Centre in London and Weston Tower, the most significant addition to Westminster Abbey since 1745.
The 54 buildings will be whittled down to six before the Stirling Prize winner is announced on October 8.
Judges said the project was 'already acting as a catalyst for wider investment and redevelopment of largely run-down, disused spaces on both sides of the River Irwell' and praised its impact in reducing car use and congestion.
Their are urban spaces and piazzas underneath and the famous Stephenson’s bridge was painstakingly cleaned.
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Their citation for the Ordsall Chord read: "This project comprises a series of viaducts, bridges and public spaces that link rail services across northern England to provide new routes for passengers and unlock bottlenecks in the system.
"The final project brings local delight with the striking form of the new river bridge and a strong identity through its materiality and consistent detailing.
"The architect’s challenge was to create a series of cohesive places with an overriding requirement to clear the path for the new rail route. The site has significant historical importance, intersecting George Stephenson’s pioneering Liverpool-to-Manchester railway.
"The original structures have been carefully restored and new public areas created adjacent to them to celebrate their character and importance, creating accessible and versatile urban spaces.
"The application of concept through to detail is consistently high. Each element and space touched by the project has been carefully considered.
"What could have been mundane has been lifted by the application of thoughtful strategy, consistent design language and a care in detailing that responds to the context of each element."
The first train crossed the Ordsall Chord in December, 2017, and it officially completed in September last year.
RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said: "Despite the political and economic challenges of recent years, our 2019 RIBA National Award winners show that UK architecture is highly adaptable, immensely talented and as community-focused as ever.
"I am particularly heartened that more than one third of our winners have creatively adapted existing buildings.
"Given the scale of the global environmental challenge, we must encourage sustainable development and investment in buildings of the highest quality - projects that will inspire and meet the needs of generations to come.
"At a time when the country is crying out for innovative, high-quality affordable housing, I am pleased we have been able to recognise some exemplar schemes.
"I encourage all local authorities and developers to look to these projects for inspiration and rise to the challenge of building the homes people want and need."
