Rail warning for Lancashire passengers

Works planned in the region to disrupt services
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Rail passengers are being urged to travel either side of the May bank holiday as major improvements are made to key rail routes in the region.

Between May 1 and 3, West Coast main line track upgrades will take place on the railway from Preston to Lancaster, Oxenholme to Penrith and Crewe to Chester.

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Sections of the Cumbrian Coast line will also be improved, while major resignalling work is happening at Trafford in Manchester.

Track renewals on the West Coast Main LineTrack renewals on the West Coast Main Line
Track renewals on the West Coast Main Line

London Euston station will be closed for three days between May 1-3, and north of Carlisle in Scotland resignalling work will also see the West Coast main line closed at Carstairs.

Due to the scale of the railway upgrades, people are being advised to travel before and after the bank holiday on April 30 and May 4.

Passengers on the days in between will have longer journeys, fewer available seats and may need to use rail replacement buses.

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Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “There is never an ideal time to shut the railway and we have worked hard to minimise disruption across the spring and summer.

“We are carefully balancing that with the need to carry out essential railway improvements and maintenance to provide a safe and reliable railway for the future.

“I’d urge people to follow Government advice and minimise travel. If you do need to make a journey, the least disruptive time will be before and after the work takes place on April 30 and May 4.”

Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Rail staff will be working hard to upgrade the network over the May bank holiday to make future journeys more reliable, so we’re asking anyone travelling between May 1 and 3 to check before they travel.

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“While extra cleaning and better information will help people travel with confidence, we ask passengers to wear their face masks and to consider whether their journey is really necessary if it will be affected by engineering work.”

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