Wednesday 1 Jan 2025
Safety warning as new electric power lines go live between Wigan and Bolton
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
People living near the railway and passengers travelling between Wigan and Bolton are being warned that newly-installed 25,000-volt electric power lines are now permanently live.
This morning (Wednesday 1 January) Network Rail and its contractors* carried out final tests on the high-voltage cables which have been installed over the last two years along the six mile stretch of railway.
After the tests, specialist electrical engineers then powered up the cables and they are now turned on 24 hours a day.
The newly installed overhead line equipment is completely safe so long as the railway boundary is respected and people don’t trespass onto the infrastructure.
If anyone gets within 2.75m of the cables the electricity can arc – like a bolt of lightning** – and cause severe or fatal injuries.
For that reason, Network Rail is urging everyone in the area to be aware of the potential dangers posed by overhead electric lines.
Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail's North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said: "Turning the power on is a huge milestone in our work to electrify the line between Wigan and Bolton but with it comes an extremely important safety message.
"The power lines carry 25,000 volts which can be deadly if you get too close or come into contact with them. The electricity is always on, so it is important to stay off the tracks, and make sure children are aware of the dangers.”
For more information people can visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/always-on/
The £100m electrification of the route between Wigan and Bolton will soon improve railway journeys across the North West by enabling train operators to run longer electric trains in future.
That will bring a greener, cleaner, and quieter railway for passengers and local people.
Since 2022 the project has seen:
- 21 kilometres of power lines installed
- 450 new overhead line equipment stanchions erected
- Six road bridges and one footbridge completely reconstructed
- Modifications to 17 bridges and two-level crossings
- Signalling and track upgrades completed
Platform extensions are continuing at Hindley, Westhoughton and Ince stations to reduce overcrowding at peak times and cater for six-carriage trains in the future.
Meanwhile, the project team worked around the clock to meet this latest milestone after a major cable theft on the route was discovered over Christmas.
Now the overhead lines are turned on, further testing and commissioning of the cables will continue, including making sure they are at the right heights and tensions for trains to collect power from them.
In the following months test trains will run on the line before regulatory commissioning can take place, with the aim that the new infrastructure can enter into service for passenger trains in the latter part of 2025.
Notes to Editors
*The Wigan to Bolton electrification project has been led by Network Rail with construction carried out on its behalf by two main contractors:
- Kier Group plc were responsible for the civil engineering work to install the structures over the last 18 months
- SPL powerlines installed in the last 6 months and have carried out the latest testing
**Once energised, the public should take extra care. Straying onto the railway and getting too close to overhead wires is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Electrocution can occur simply by moving too close to the wires, for example, by trespassing on the railway, depot or compound areas that store auxiliary equipment (e.g. electrical substations and electrical feeder stations), which carry a significant electrical current. It can also happen by accidentally making contact with live wires through activities such as using fishing tackle, kites, helium balloons, selfie sticks or operating machinery and tools for activities such as gardening in close proximity to the electrified railway.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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