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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.