Media centre

Tuesday 19 May 2020

Passengers who must travel urged to plan ahead of West Coast main line upgrades over late May bank holiday

Region & Route:

North West & Central

• Major railway upgrades to take place this weekend at Chorley, Bletchley and Wembley to improve future journeys
• People are advised to not travel by train due to coronavirus
• Passengers should continue to follow Government advice and avoid using public transport

Passengers who have no other choice other than travelling on the railway on routes out of Euston to the Midlands, North West and Scotland are reminded to check their journeys before travelling, with major upgrade work planned to take place over the late May bank holiday.

The West Coast main line work includes:

• A major junction being replaced at Euxton near Chorley
• Track improvements in Wembley, Camden, Carlisle, Wolverhampton and Preston
• A large signalling gantry being installed in Preston
• The partial removal of a 1960s railway flyover at Bletchley
• A footbridge being replaced in Stockport

The essential upgrades have been carefully planned to ensure vital freight can keep moving around the country and people who cannot work from home can still get to their jobs.

Passengers are reminded to continue following Government advice and avoid using public transport.

Those who do need to travel this weekend are being advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk ahead of the engineering work.

Tim Shoveller, managing director for Network Rail’s North West & Central region, said: “The schemes we are carrying out over the weekends in May are all must-do work. We have planned it so as to minimise disruption to freight and those who do need to travel. It will help to ensure the railway is at its best when Britain emerges from this coronavirus pandemic.

“Our mission-critical frontline colleagues, including railway upgrade engineers, signallers, maintenance, control room and operations staff, are Britain’s hidden heroes, helping to keep Britain connected in this time of need. And I’m proud of them.”

Passengers should continue following Government guidelines around the use of public transport, and only travel if they have to.

People making such journeys should visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest information. ​