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Friday 24 Apr 2015

Rail investment means changes to train services this May bank holiday

Region & Route:

Passengers are being advised to check before they travel this bank holiday as further investment in the railway means some services and routes will be affected.

Network Rail will be carrying investment, upgrade and maintenance work from the last trains on Friday 1 May until the start of service on Tuesday 5 May to provide a better, more reliable railway.

The West Coast main line between London Euston and Scotland, via the West Midlands and north west, is one of the busiest in the country and will see a range of work taking place to help improve performance and reliability.

Work will be taking place from Carlisle in the north of England, to Wolverhampton and Stafford in the Midlands, and Tring and Weedon (in Northamptonshire) in the south. The investment will help provide a better railway for the millions of passengers who travel by train on the railway – but will mean short term disruption while the improvements are carried out.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “Bank holidays are traditionally quieter times on the railway and provide extra time when we can carry out even more improvement work in an effective and efficient way.

“These upgrades will help to provide a more reliable railway which is essential as more people choose to travel by train. There is never a good time to carry out work of this nature but we have worked with the train operators to plan it to cause the least amount of disruption and make sure passengers can plan or make alternative arrangements.

“I apologise for any inconvenience caused and urge anyone who plans to travel by train over the bank holiday weekend to check with National Rail Enquiries or their train operator for the latest information.”

On the northern end of the route track renewal work will take place in the Crewe, Warrington and Wigan area and track maintenance and improvements will also take place in the Carlisle area. This will affect passengers travelling on services to and from Scotland.

In the West Midlands area a new, more reliable signalling system will be brought into use in the Wolverhampton area which will affect passengers travelling on services to and from Birmingham from Shrewsbury, Liverpool and Wolverhampton.

Work will also take place in the Stafford area as part of a £250m investment to improve capacity, reliability and journey times on the West Coast main line. New track will be laid and signalling gantries built in the station area and new overhead line equipment installed near Norton Bridge. New track will also be installed on the line between Norton Bridge and Stone. The work will affect passengers on services between Birmingham and Liverpool and Birmingham and Manchester. At certain times long distance services will be diverted via Manchester.

At the southern end of the route only two of the four tracks will be in use between Tring and Hemel Hempstead while track renewal work takes place. The same work will take place in near Weedon in Northamptonshire which means London Midland services will be diverted via Northampton.

All of the work will mean either longer journeys or bus replacement services. Passengers are urged to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk/may. 

Steven Fisher, London Midland's head of regional services, said: “The works in May will affect a number of routes across our network, so I’d warn passengers to check before they travel. London Midland will be running rail-replacement bus services over the Bank Holiday weekend, but journeys will involve changes and will take much longer than normal.

“There isn’t an ideal time for improvement works to take place, but we have worked closely with Network Rail and other affected train operators to ensure that passengers are kept up to date and that disruption is kept to a minimum. When the works are complete in 2016, journeys to the North West will be faster and more reliable. I’d like to thank our passengers in advance for their patience and cooperation, while these essential works take place.”

Phil Bearpark, executive director operations and projects for Virgin Trains, said: "Some destinations along the West Coast main line may be served by fewer trains and some may only be reachable by rail replacement coaches. Passengers should definitely check their journey before they travel. We have worked closely with Network Rail and industry partners to ensure alternative travel arrangements are in place wherever possible and to keep disruption to a minimum whilst this important work is carried out.”

A spokesman for Arriva Trains Wales said: “A rail replacement bus service will on our mainline services between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury on the May Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday and our services between Shrewsbury and Crewe on the May Bank Holiday Sunday. Our Shrewsbury to Manchester Piccadilly service on the Bank Holiday Monday is being diverted to run via Chester and Warrington Bank Quay. We regret that dogs (except guide dogs), cycles, prams and large items of luggage cannot be carried on replacement bus services.”

The railway between Bolton and Manchester will also be closed over the weekend and will reopen on the Tuesday morning with a reduced service during the week and bus replacement services during weekends until October 2015.

The work is connected to the planned upgrade of the Farnworth Tunnel which is being enlarged as part of the electrification programme in the north west of England. More than £1bn is being invested in the railway in the north west of England to provide a better, faster and more reliable railway. For information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/farnworth. 

Network Rail continues to work with all affected train operators to raise awareness amongst passengers of all of the work and the impact it will have over the bank holiday. Radio adverts, social media messages, posters at stations and leaflets are all being used to help passengers plan their journeys using the latest information available.