Nine-day closure between Manchester and Preston railway begins this weekend

As part of the Great North Rail project, there will be a nine-day closure of the railway, from this Saturday, August 25, 2018 to Sunday September 2, 2018.

Rail replacement buses will be in service during the closure.

The company say the upgrade will provide passengers with better, more reliable electric services as part of a multi-billion pound investment across the North of England.

“This short-term disruption is necessary to complete these vital upgrades and it’s important to remember the long-term improvements which will be delivered. In future electric-powered, greener, faster, more frequent, more spacious, more reliable trains will become the norm through the Bolton corridor.”

The Manchester-Bolton-Preston upgrade covers over 25 miles of track and infrastructure upgrades. It has involved the widening and rebuilding of Farnworth Tunnel, remodelling of tracks and platforms through Chorley and Bolton stations, the renewal of 13,883m of track, replacement of 93 signals, and the laying of 236,000m of cables.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel on www.nationalrail.co.uk or with their train operator for the latest information.