Four major rail junctions will also be replaced this summer as part of a nine-day partial closure of the West Coast Mainline.
The £18 million improvement scheme will see an 18-mile stretch of track near Wigan, between Warrington and Preston, closed for the replacement of four life-expired junctions and three miles of track.
Work will be completed over nine days from Saturday, July 13 to Sunday, July 21.
Dyan Crowther, route managing director, said: “This scheme represents significant investment in the railway in this area to increase line speeds and make the railway more reliable and punctual for our customers.
“There is never a good time to carry out major work on such a busy route and after careful discussion with the train operators and industry partners, it became apparent that undertaking this vital investment in nine consecutive days in July would, overall, cause less disruption.
“Train services are quieter at this time and fewer people are expected to experience changes to their travel plans compared to the work being staggered over the next two years, impacting on dozens of weekends and Bank Holidays.”
Network Rail seem to finish one blockade of the West Coast Main Line (whether a weekend or longer) and then we hear of more disruption for passengers. My question is how long before this major artery is free of all major engineering works and operators will be able to run services 7-days-a-week for 52 weeks of the year?