Warning of delays for Bank Holiday travellers in Lancashire

Rail chiefs are warning bank holiday travellers of delays over the Easter weekend for people using the West Coast Main Line.
Major engineering work on West Coast Main Line is planned over the Easter and May Bank HolidaysMajor engineering work on West Coast Main Line is planned over the Easter and May Bank Holidays
Major engineering work on West Coast Main Line is planned over the Easter and May Bank Holidays

Network Rail urged passengers to plan ahead and check the best days to travel when engineers carry out essential planned maintenance on Lancashire’s main route to London and Scotland.

A wide programme of works is scheduled up and down the line including works in Lancashire, including:

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* Bridge renovation and strengthening at Coppull Moor Lane, in Chorley.

* Railway track being replaced at Golborne, Coppull Hall, in Chorley, and Blainscough.

* Track foundation improvements and work to overhead electric lines at Carnforth.

Euston Station will be closed over the Easter weekend and the early May bank holiday weekend with no trains in or out of the main line station on those days. Network Rail advises best days for travel over Easter will be Best days to travel: Thursday, April 18 and Tuesday, April 23.

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Some of the work carried out at Easter will need to be continued between Saturday, May 4 and Monday, May 6 with the advice to travel on Thursday, May 3 and Tuesday, May 7. The work at Euston is in preparation for HS2, Britain’s new high-speed railway, and includes work to clear additional concourse space to help customers move more freely around the station.

Network Rail is also carrying out work in the West Midlands, Merseyside and Cumbria as part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “We recognise there is never an ideal time to shut the railway for our must-do work. Bank holidays are the least disruptive time to do it, when fewer passengers use the railway compared to the working week. That way we can do the maximum amount of work while impacting the fewest number of people.

“Train companies and Network Rail have worked together to minimise disruption for customers. By doing a lot of work over the Easter and early May bank holidays, we can offer passengers better journeys over the late May and August bank holidays. The alternative would have been closing the line and Euston station over all of these weekends.”

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Peter Broadley, executive director for customer, operations and safety at Virgin Trains, said: “With no services into or out of Euston we strongly advise our customers to avoid travelling to and from London on the days affected. We know this will impact on people’s travel plans, so to make it easier we have removed afternoon peak time ticket restrictions on Maundy Thursday to allow customers to make an earlier start to their Easter weekend.”

Passengers are being advised to plan their journeys at www.nationalrail.co.uk between April 19-22 and May 4-6.