Media centre

Tuesday 1 Jun 2021

Bank holiday rail upgrades complete between London and Cumbria

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Network Rail has completed essential upgrades to the railway between Euston, the Midlands, North West and Cumbria over the late May bank holiday.

Between Saturday 29 and Monday 31 May, teams carried out vital work on the railway to improve passenger and freight services on the West Coast main line – the Backbone of Britain.

The £14.5m improvement projects in Network Rail's North West and Central region as part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan saw:

• Railway track replacement at Worcester, Halton in Cheshire, Harrow and Wealdstone and Cheddington in Buckinghamshire
• Signalling upgrades at Trafford Park in Manchester
• Track foundation stone upgrades in Crewe and Carlisle

Tim Shoveller, managing director for Network Rail’s North West & Central region, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carried out these essential upgrades to the West Coast main line and routes which feed into it over the late May bank holiday.

“I’m immensely proud of the hundreds of Network Rail staff and our contractors who continue to make the West Coast main line more reliable for our passengers and pave the way for HS2, which will bring much-needed extra railway capacity as the country builds back better from the pandemic.”

Network Rail planners worked hard to reschedule planned maintenance to try to minimise disruption over bank holidays this year.

Meanwhile, travellers are reminded they must continue to follow advice on how to control the spread of coronavirus.

People should continue to follow Government guidance so they know how to travel safely. 

This includes planning ahead and checking before you travel as transport services and roads might be busier as restrictions ease.

For more information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.