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Wednesday 24 May 2023

Majority of North West rail routes open this late May bank holiday

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

• Most North West rail routes will be open for late May bank holiday travel
• Some overnight and daytime work could impact West Coast main line journeys
• £4.3m is being invested to make the railway better for passengers and freight
• People are advised to check National Rail Enquiries before travelling

Most rail routes across the North West will be open for passengers to travel around the region this late May bank holiday weekend (27-29 May).

Bank holidays remain crucial for Network Rail to carry out major upgrades to improve future journeys for passengers and freight.

Progress made earlier this year means a smaller programme of improvements will take place over the late May bank holiday, when £4.3m will be invested to upgrade some sections of the West Coast main line between Preston and Carlisle.

While this work has been planned to mainly take place overnight to cause the least disruption to rail travellers, there could be changes to some journeys.

The upgrades include:

• Railway foundation stone improvements in Carlisle on Sunday and Monday.
• New track being laid between Preston and Lancaster from Saturday evening until Sunday lunchtime.
• Ballast cleaning in Warrington from Saturday night until Sunday lunchtime. 

Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk to see if work is taking place on their chosen route.

Dave Penney, passenger director of Network Rail’s North West and Central region, said: “We’ve made great progress improving the West Coast main line on previous bank holidays so far this year, which means we’re doing much less work this coming bank holiday break.

“We are still investing £4.3m in the region’s railway though, which could see some journeys impacted overnight on Saturday into Sunday. That’s why we're advising people to check National Rail Enquiries in advance of 27-29 May so they know exactly what to expect from their journey.”

Passengers on affected routes should allow extra time for their journeys as they may need to change trains or use rail replacement buses.

People can also find out how their journeys will be affected with their train operator, or can follow how the work progresses on Twitter accounts @NetworkRailMAN @NetworkRailLC.