Tuesday 4 Aug 2026
Peak District and Manchester Victoria rail upgrades this August
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
Multi-million-pound railway upgrades will take place in Greater Manchester and the gateway to the Peak District from this weekend to improve future journeys for passengers and freight.
From 8 to 16 August, Network Rail will be carrying out the work in two locations as part of its ongoing summer improvement projects.
On the weekends of 8–9 and 15–16 August*, a railway junction will be replaced near Guide Bridge.
While the work takes place, no trains can run on the Glossop/Hadfield or Rose Hill Marple lines in or out of Manchester Piccadilly over both weekends.
Rail replacement buses will keep passengers on the move, with people advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to plan ahead by checking www.nationalrail.co.uk.
The second major scheme will see a midweek closure of the line between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale when engineers return to install a new railway turnback.**
No trains will run from Monday 10 August until the morning of Saturday 15 August, with rail replacement buses serving the route instead. It follows an identical closure last month for the same project.
Lorna Samways, Network Rail senior sponsor, said: “We know there’s never an ideal time to shut the railway, so I’d like to thank passengers in advance for their patience while we carry out these essential railway improvements next week.
“Both projects at Guide Bridge and in Manchester are major investments to improve rail journeys for passengers and freight in future. I’d advise passengers planning to travel between 8-16 August to check National Rail Enquiries so they know exactly what to expect from their journey.”
Andrew McClements, TransPennine Express customer experience and transformation director, said: "We'd like to thank customers for their patience while these vital improvements are carried out, helping to create a better and more dependable railway for the future.
"While the work is taking place, some journeys will be affected. We encourage customers to plan ahead, allow extra time for travel, and check before they travel using the TransPennine Express website, app, or National Rail Enquiries.”
For the latest travel information, please visit nationalrail.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
Turnbacks are important features on the railway because they let trains head back in a different direction without stopping on and blocking the main line, allowing other trains to pass through.
*The following service changes will be in place on 8, 9, 15, and 16 August.
Northern:
No trains will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Rose Hill Marple, with a rail replacement bus service running between these two stations.
No trains will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield or Glossop.
A rail replacement bus service will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield, not calling at Hattersley or Broadbottom.
Additionally, a minibus service will run between Godley and Hadfield, calling at all stations.
**The following service changes will be in place from 10 to 14 August.
Northern:
Replacement buses will run between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria.
An amended train service will run between Manchester Victoria and Chester, and between Leeds and Rochdale.
Trains that normally run between Stalybridge and Wigan North Western / Southport will be amended to run between Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western / Southport only. Alternative train services will run between Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria.
TransPennine Express:
Train services to and from Huddersfield will be diverted to run to and from Manchester Piccadilly instead of Manchester Victoria, and will run to an amended timetable between:
- Manchester Piccadilly - Redcar Central
- Manchester Piccadilly - Newcastle
- Manchester Piccadilly - Hull
- Manchester Piccadilly - York
- York - Scarborough
- Liverpool Lime Street - Manchester Victoria
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.
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