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Tuesday 10 Mar 2026

Four weeks to go: Passengers in the North West urged to plan ahead of major upgrades this Easter

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers travelling across the North West this Easter period have been warned to plan their journeys ahead of time as major rail improvements take place.

Engineers will be updating track, signalling and overhead lines on a key stretch of the West Coast Main Line – Europe's busiest mixed-use railway – beginning on Easter weekend.

The improvements are part of a massive £400m investment in the line over the coming years which will make train services more reliable for decades to come.

Passengers should be aware of the following:

• 4-5 April: Signalling and track upgrades between Preston and Oxenholme. No trains will run between the two. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line and bus replacement services will be in place. 
• 11-19 April: Overhead line improvements between Preston, Lancaster and Fylde. Changes to trains North of Preston. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line. Bus replacement services will also be in place. 

Pip Hoskins, Network Rail principal programme sponsor, said : "We are currently undertaking the largest upgrade to the northern section of the West Coast Main Line in more than 50 years, and this latest work will provide a vital improvement to a key part of the North West's rail network. These upgrades will mean better connectivity and smoother, more reliable journeys along this crucial rail artery.

"I would like to thank passengers for their patience while this work takes place and would urge anyone travelling on these dates to check with National Rail Enquiries for the latest updates.”

During the Easter period, Network Rail teams will also be completing other upgrades across the West Coast Main Line, these include:

• London Euston and Milton Keynes: £8.4m of new track to be laid at Willesden, including the renewal of switches and crossings (moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another) and £8m of new overhead power equipment around Wembley. From 3-8 April, no intercity trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes. Services will start and end at Milton Keynes with buses to Bedford for onwards trains to London St Pancras International (Bakerloo Line and Overground trains will run between Euston and Harrow/Watford every day except Saturday and Sunday).
• Carlisle to Glasgow Central/Edinburgh, Scotland: From 3-6 April, new track and points being installed on the West Coast Main Line in south Glasgow means that Anglo Scottish passengers will be diverted via Dumfries and Kilmarnock over all four days of the Bank Holiday and buses will replace trains on the Carstairs route between Glasgow and Edinburgh between Saturday and Monday inclusive.

To plan rail journeys in advance please use www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information.