Media centre

Wednesday 29 Apr 2015

Passengers between Bolton and Manchester urged to plan their travel ahead of Farnworth Tunnel upgrade

Region & Route:

With under a week to go before major work starts to upgrade Farnworth Tunnel, passengers are being urged to check their travel options and plan their journeys.

As part of a £1bn+ investment to deliver a better railway in the north west of England, one of the tunnels at Farnworth will be closed and rebuilt between Saturday 2 May and Sunday 4 October with one tunnel remaining open to continue to operate a train service.

The single tunnel will result in an amended timetable between Bolton and Manchester but Network Rail, Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express have carefully planned to keep as many passengers moving as possible. Service frequency will be reduced but trains will be strengthened during the peak times but customers may need to change their normal travel arrangements to ensure they complete their journeys to and from Manchester.

Around 7,000 people travel on the route between Preston and Manchester in peak times with around 2,000 joining at Bolton. Passengers are being asked to avoid travelling through Bolton and travel via Preston and Wigan if possible. More space is available on trains between Preston and Manchester via Wigan.

More trains will stop at Manchester Victoria and passengers are encouraged to use these services - as opposed to those to Manchester Piccadilly. Trains will still travel into Piccadilly throughout the work but the overall amount of space and seats will be reduced.

Those who travel into Manchester Victoria can walk to other Manchester stations or use free Metroshuttle buses to travel across the city.  

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “We have worked closely with Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express so passengers are still able to get to their destinations during this essential work.

“Where possible we need people to avoid travelling through Bolton and use services into Manchester Victoria or travel via Wigan. It will take time to get used to different ways of travelling in and out of Manchester but there will be additional staff at stations across the route to help passengers and lots of information is available to help plan journeys.

“This is essential work and I thank passengers in advance for their cooperation and patience. The upgrade and wider investment will result in a better, faster, more reliable railway that will serve passengers for many decades to come.”

A spokesperson on behalf of Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express commented: “The work will lay the foundations for a much improved railway, where in the future we are able to provide more capacity, faster journeys and a greener travel experience.

“However this engineering project is extremely complex and we appreciate the disruption that it will cause to customers’ journeys.

“There will be changes to train services but trains will continue to operate although at a much reduced frequency and different travel options will be available. In partnership with Network Rail we have conducted a high profile information campaign and we believe the huge majority of customers are aware of the changes. We are advising all customers to take the time to plan their journey and make the necessary changes to their travel plans. Customers should not assume that their current commute will operate as normal.

“We would ask everyone to be patient with us as we endeavour to keep as many people moving as possible.”

To help get passengers safely onto trains at Bolton and Manchester Oxford Road, queuing systems may be in use along with additional staff. Buses will also be on standby at peak times should they be needed.

As well as the amended weekday service, there will be no trains running between Bolton and Manchester during weekends until the railway reopens on Monday 5 October.

Station drop-in sessions, online Q&As, leaflets, webpages and posters have all been made available and have been used to raise awareness amongst passengers about why the work is necessary and the benefits it will bring as well as what the alternative travel options are.

For travel information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or for information about the Farnworth Tunnel project visit www.networkrail.co.uk/farnworth.