Festive travel disruption dates and routes for Lancashire as M6 bridge work takes place
Train passengers and motorists in Lancashire might see their journeys disrupted over the festive period as work is carried out to replace a railway bridge over the M6.
Network Rail plans work for the West Coast Mainline between Carlisle and London from Christmas Eve (December 24) to January 15.
Trains will not call at stations between Preston and Carlisle between January 1 and January 5, with buses used instead. Buses will also replace trains between Blackpool, Buckshaw Parkway, Preston, Lancaster and Wigan during this period.
The disruptions is due to Network Rail replacing a bridge over the M6 near Penrith, as well as carrying out signalling upgrades north of Carlisle and at Preston station, and work on the Hanslope Junction near Milton Keynes.
It means sections of the West Coast Mainline will be shut down in stages, with trains diverted on to the Settle to Carlisle line and replacement buses drafted in.
Closures are also planned on the M6 motorway to allow the Clifton Bridge replacement work to take place.
Network Rail said the work was part of a £400m investment on the line over the next four years.
Planned disruption - dates and routes
24 December to 5 January: buses will replace trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton/Rugby
31 December to 15 January: buses will run between Oxenholme and Carlisle, with a shuttle rail diversion running on the Settle to Carlisle line between Preston and Carlisle.
1 to 5 January: trains will not call at stations between Preston and Carlisle with buses used instead. Buses will also replace trains between Blackpool, Buckshaw Parkway Preston, Lancaster and Wigan.
1 to 7 January, buses will replace trains between Carlisle and Dumfries/Lockerbie.
The M6 will be shut between junction 39 at Shap and junction 40 near Penrith from 8pm on January 2 to 5am on January 5 and at the same times the following weekend.
The M6 work will see a new £60m new railway bridge installed at Clifton, near Penrith. It will be 427ft (130 metres) long, weigh 4,200 tonnes and replace a 60-year-old structure.
Alongside the major projects, overhead line replacement and refurbishment of platforms will take place along the 309-mile (497km) route.
Christian Irwin, Network Rail's capital delivery director for the North West and Central region, said the work would improve reliability across the region.
"We know that this work will cause some disruption for those travelling during the festive season so please plan your journeys as early as possible," he said.