Replacement bus services are planned during railway works between Preston and Blackpool

A date has been set for work to commence upgrading the railway line between Preston and Blackpool.
Journeys between Preston and Blackpool will be affectedJourneys between Preston and Blackpool will be affected
Journeys between Preston and Blackpool will be affected

The 19 weeks of work, said to be the biggest since 1800s, is due to start on Saturday, November 11.

Bus replacement services will be in place as the work, led by Network Rail and Northern, gets underway.

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Sharon Keith, regional director at Northern, says the upgrade is key to modernising the railway in the north of England. “The work will pave the way for further improvements for our customers who, in the future, will benefit from brand new or fully refurbished electric trains – resulting in better journeys and, thanks to further investment, better stations,” she said.

The upgrade forms part of the Great North Rail Project to improve journeys between the two places and across the north of England.

Bosses at Network Rail say the work will enable greener, quieter and more reliable train services.

Network Rail’s London North Western route managing director Martin Frobisher said: “As Blackpool’s economy grows, the railway is growing too and we are working with the wider industry and our Blackpool region partners to keep the people of Blackpool and the Fylde on the move throughout the closure.

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“There is never a good time to carry out this type of work but we have planned it to take place outside of the main holiday season so it causes the least impact.

“I am confident the short-term pain will certainly be worth the long-term gain of transformed train travel in future.”