Passengers travelling in the North West of England are being advised to plan their journeys in advance over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Between Friday 18 April and Monday 21 April, Network Rail will be carrying out important work to improve the reliability of the railway for passengers and freight services.
Upgrades include:
- Work to prepare the railway for the almost £20m project to rebuild the Greek Street bridge in Stockport.
- Essential signalling upgrades between Carlisle, Cumbria and Carstairs, Scotland.
- Track upgrades near Liverpool Lime Street station.
- Improvements to Salford Central station.
In Stockport, preparation for the almost £20m project to rebuild the Greek Street bridge over the Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line begins. The Greek Street roundabout was closed to traffic on 31 March for one year. Between Saturday 19 – Monday 21 April, no trains will run through Stockport. Some services will be diverted, while others will be replaced with buses.
Essential signalling upgrades between Carlisle, Cumbria and Carstairs, Scotland, between Saturday 19 – Monday 21 April means services on the West Coast Main Line will start and terminate at Carlisle. Bus replacement services will be in place between Carlisle, Glasgow, Dumfries and Edinburgh.
Liverpool Lime Street and lines between Mossley Hill and Huyton will be closed on Easter Sunday (20 April) to allow for track upgrades in the Liverpool City Region. The team will be replacing track switches and crossings and carrying out proactive maintenance work to the electrical supply equipment. The work will make the track more reliable for the 240 services that travel in and out of Liverpool Lime Street station every day. Passengers should check with their train operator to plan their specific journey into Liverpool.
Also on Easter Sunday, transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) work to make Salford Central a modernised and more accessible station means that the line will be closed between Manchester Victoria and Salford Crescent. Passengers are advised to check before they travel between Bolton, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Piccadilly, Wigan, Leeds, Clitheroe and Chester.
Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “I understand that our work over Easter will inconvenience people, and I am sorry for that. Many factors go into planning when we carry important work like this, and, unfortunately, we cannot complete the work we need to do to improve the railway and keep passengers safe without causing some disruption.
“I urge passengers to check National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator to understand exactly what this portfolio of railway upgrades means for their specific journey. I’d like to thank everyone for their patience as we work to deliver a better railway in the North West.”
The Easter Bank Holiday weekend has been carefully chosen as the best time to carry out major engineering work. The four-day bank holiday gives engineers longer to access the track without disturbing most commuters on the network.
Other work affecting West Coast Main Line transport over Easter includes:
- Passengers planning to travel to or from London Euston are advised to travel either side of the bank holiday weekend to avoid longer journeys and some bus replacement services. Engineering work, including the renewal of overhead lines, switches and crossings (movable sections of track), and drainage improvements will mean major service changes between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central. No trains will run between these stations on Saturday 19 April, Sunday 20 April and Monday 21 April, with Euston station closed on these days. A reduced timetable will be in effect on Friday 18 April. On these days, Caledonian Sleeper services will start and terminate at London King’s Cross.
Passengers are advised to check their journeys in advance with their train operator or via www.nationalrail.co.uk/spring.
Image credit: Network Rail
