North West Rail Users Advised to Check Journeys as Upgrade Work Commences on West Coast Main Line

Rail passengers in the North West are being urged to check their journeys in advance ahead of upgrade work taking place on the late May bank holiday weekend.

On Sunday 24 May there will be key engineering work taking place on the West Coast Main Line which will mean no trains run between Warrington and Preston. 

During this time, Avanti West Coast services will divert via Manchester, and rail replacement bus services will run between Crewe and Wigan, calling at Warrington. 

The engineering work will involve renewing ageing overhead wires, improving journeys for passengers and making train services more reliable. 

It is the latest piece of work in the ongoing project to upgrade the West Coast Main Line, with £400m set to be spent in the coming years. Once complete, these updates will improve reliability for passengers and reduce delays on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway line for decades to come. 

Pip Hoskins, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: “The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-use railway in the country and keeping the overhead lines up to date is vital for both passenger and freight services. 

“We know there’s never a good time to close the railway and we would like to thank passengers for their patience while this essential work is taking place. It’s all part of the massive investment into this railway line over the coming years which will create more reliable journeys for years to come.” 

Chris Liptrot, Operations Director at Avanti West Coast, said: “While Network Rail carry out this essential work, we’ll be operating an amended timetable with some journeys taking longer and involving a rail replacement bus. 

“We strongly advise customers making journeys to or from Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western on Sunday 24 May plan ahead and check the National Rail website before travelling.” 

Following the late May bank holiday, there will be further work taking place to upgrade overhead lines on this section of the railway in the final weekend of May. On Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May there will be no trains between Warrington and Preston.  

Avanti West Coast services will divert via Manchester and rail replacement buses will run between Crewe and Wigan, calling at Warrington. 

Passengers are encouraged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information so they know exactly what to expect from their journey. 

In June there will also be further journey-improving railway upgrades on the West Coast Main Line which will impact on journeys. To find out more about this work you can visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/our-regions/north-west-and-central/west-coast-main-line-upgrades/