Signalling fault in Wigan causing delays to rail passengers

Friday 10 Dec 2021

Signalling fault in Wigan causing delays to rail passengers

Region & Route:: North West & Central; | North West & Central: North West

Passengers are being warned of major disruption to trains after a fault with signalling equipment in Wigan.

Network Rail has now restored the signals – the traffic lights of the railway – so passenger and freight services can get back on the move.

However trains on routes between Preston, Wigan, Kirkby, Gathurst and Warrington are likely to be impacted for the rest of the day.

People are urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with their individual train operator for the latest travel information.

Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West route infrastructure director, said: “I’m extremely sorry we have been unable to give passengers the service they expect and deserve today. My teams have now fixed the complex fault but it will take some time to get trains back to the normal timetable again. I’d like thank all those people delayed for their continued patience and I’d urge anyone planning to travel today to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest travel information.”

For more information on how Network Rail deals with signalling issues, visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/signals-and-points-failure/

Contact information

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

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
07740 782954
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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