Saturday 28 Dec 2024
Significant cable theft means Sunday disruption for passengers between Preston and Bolton
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
Emergency work is needed to re-install and test high-voltage power cable that was stolen by thieves ahead of a major project milestone.
Engineers discovered £100k worth of cable missing when they arrived to carry out work in Lostock, Bolton, over the Christmas period.
Since 2022, Network Rail has been working to electrify the line between Wigan and Bolton. This £100 million upgrade will get the track ready for Northern’s longer, greener, electric trains when they are introduced along the route.
The cable that was stolen provides power to the overhead line equipment, which in turn powers electric trains across the tracks.
The crime was carried out just one week before the line was due to be energised for the first time, on New Year's Day.
So the team can meet this important milestone, they need to replace the damaged cable and retest the system. To complete this work safely and efficiently, the railway needs to be closed for the majority of this Sunday (29 December 2025) between Chorley and Bolton, which will affect services up to Preston.
Passengers should check the National Rail website or with their train operator to find out what the closure means for their specific journey.
Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail’s Capital Delivery director, said: “I am very sorry to passengers who will be impacted by the rail closure between Chorley and Bolton on Sunday.
“It is extremely frustrating for this crime to take place so close to the energisation of the line. Our teams have been working very hard to deliver this upgrade for passengers over several years including over this Christmas period.
“We are working closely with the British Transport Police to provide additional security measures and to find and prosecute those accountable."
The power on the line between Wigan and Bolton will soon be turned on as part of the next phase in the electrification project.
Network Rail is asking passengers to take extra care ahead of this phase as electrified routes have a deadly 25000 volts running along them. Straying onto the railway and getting too close to overhead wires is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.
Notes to Editors
TransPennine Express travel advice Sunday 29 December
- TransPennine Express services between Manchester- Glasgow/Edinburgh via Preston will not be able to call at Bolton until after 18:00 on Sunday 29 December, due to the urgent repair work taking place by Network Rail. With services being diverted via Chatmoss/Wigan.
- Customers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to check carefully before they travel by visiting: tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates or via TPE’s social media channels.
- Customers whose journeys are affected by the urgent repair work can find out more about how to reply for a refund, or delay repay compensation by visiting: tpexpress.co.uk/help.
Upcoming planned line closure
Between 10:30pm on 31 December and 10:30am 1 January, all services will be suspended between Lostock Junction and Wigan North Western. On 1 January there will be no access to Westhoughton, Hindley or Ince stations.
To keep passengers on the move, replacement buses will be in place between Wigan North Western, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Ince and Lostock.
People planning to travel between Wigan and Bolton over the Christmas and New Year period are being advised to check National Rail in advance and to allow extra time for their journeys. Further short-term impact to services are expected throughout.
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
0330 854 0100
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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