Tuesday 2 May 2023
Six-day railway closure from Saturday between Wigan and Bolton
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
Rail passengers are being advised of a six-day railway closure between Wigan and Bolton from this Saturday while work continues on the electrification of the line.
Network Rail is progressing with a £78m investment to upgrade the 6.5-mile stretch of railway* to enable electric trains to serve the key North West towns in the future.
In preparation for the installation of high-voltage overhead electricity cables, alterations need to be made to 17 railway structures along the route.
One of those is Ladies Lane bridge in Hindley and work began in March when the road was closed.
Now a six-day railway closure is needed for engineers to work in safety on the tracks without trains running.
To keep passengers on the move between Saturday 6 and Friday 12 May, replacement buses will run between Wigan North Western, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Ince and Lostock**.
People planning rail travel between Wigan and Bolton between those dates are being advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk in advance and to allow extra time for their journeys.
Claire Davis, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “We’ve reached the stage the railway needs to close in this important project which will one day enable cleaner, greener trains to run between Wigan and Bolton. While rail replacement buses will be in operation to keep passengers on the move, journeys will take longer and I’d advise people to check National Rail Enquiries so they know exactly what to expect while travelling between 6 and 12 May.
“I’d also like to thank residents and businesses in Hindley for their continued patience and support while we carry out this major bridge upgrade, which will secure the town’s vital railway link for generations to come.”
For more information on railway electrification visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/living-by-the-railway/electrification/overhead-line-equipment/
Notes to Editors
Notes to Editors
*The 6.5-mile route has two railway lines running in either direction which means a total of 13 miles of track will eventually have overhead electric lines installed above to power cleaner, greener trains in future.
** The work at Hindley from 6-12 May blocks the line completely for through services between Wigan and Manchester so buses will operate between Wigan to Bolton via Westhoughton and Wigan to Manchester via Atherton line (Ince, Hindley, Daisy Hill, Hagfold, Atherton, Walkden, Moorside, Swinton all affected stations.)
While Ladies Lane bridge is closed a diversion route is in place for road users. A temporary walkway will be provided during the construction work to allow pedestrian access over the railway line. Cyclists must dismount to cross the temporary walkway. The route will on occasion need to close when cranes are being used to lift heavy components of the new bridge structure when it is being rebuilt.
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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