North West passengers thanked as Bank Holiday upgrades completed

Tuesday 5 May 2026

North West passengers thanked as Bank Holiday upgrades completed

Region & Route:: North West & Central

Rail passengers across the North West have been thanked for their patience after key improvements were completed across the Bank Holiday weekend.

Liverpool Lime Street reopened on Monday (4 May) following a closure which began on Sunday morning.

This allowed Network Rail engineering teams to replace ageing signalling infrastructure in Edge Hill with new, modern equipment.

Also on Sunday, a programme of work to renew overhead line equipment in the North West continued between Warrington and Preston. This is part of the ongoing project to update overhead lines on the northern section of the West Coast Main Line.

The project, which will see more than £400m spent in the next few years, will improve reliability for passengers and reduce delays on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway line for decades to come.

Paul Danks, Network Rail senior programme manager, said: “Upgrading our signalling systems and overhead lines with new equipment is vital to keep both passenger and freight train services running smoothly. The work we have completed today will mean more reliable train journeys in future.

“We know there’s never a good time to close the railway and we would like to thank passengers for their patience while this work was taking place. It’s all part of our ongoing investment into the West Coast Main Line over the next several years.”

Passengers are also being reminded of upcoming work set to take place during the Late May Bank Holiday.

On Sunday 24 May the overhead line renewal programme will continue. During this period there will be no trains between Warrington and Preston.

Passengers are encouraged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information so they know exactly what to expect from their journey.

In June there will also be further journey-improving railway upgrades on the West Coast Main Line which will impact on journeys. To find out more about this work you can visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/our-regions/north-west-and-central/west-coast-main-line-upgrades/

Notes to Editors

During the 24 May closure Avanti West Coast services will divert via Manchester. Rail replacement bus services will run between Crewe and Wigan, calling at Warrington.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
North West and Central Media Relations
Press Office
Network Rail
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.