Warning of looming travel problems in Lancashire

Network Rail is carrying out essential work between April 10-13 at London Euston, in the West Midlands, the North West, Cumbria and in Scotland as part of Britain’s £113m Railway Upgrade Plan this Easter.

This includes a major junction being replaced at Euxton, near Chorley , track renewal work in Wolverhampton, and between Carstairs in Scotland and Carlisle in Cumbria, as well as upgrades to overhead lines, signals and points.

Tim Shoveller, managing director for Network Rail’s North West and Central region, said: “There’s never a perfect time to close parts of the railway to make improvements, but bank holidays and weekends are the quietest times when the fewest people use the railway.

"We work closely with our industry colleagues to get as much work done as possible during the closures and minimise its impact on people’s journeys."

Sections of the line will be closed to trains with rail replacement buses running. Where the line is open, trains will be running but travellers will experience service changes and have longer journeys with fewer available seats.

Passengers are advised to plan journeys in advance and to check before travelling at www.nationalrail.co.uk/westcoast.

Gus Dunster, executive director operations and safety for Avanti West Coast, said: “We know this will impact on customers’ travel plans, particularly over a Bank Holiday weekend. That’s why we have tried to give as much notice as possible. The best advice is to check before you travel and expect services to be busier than usual, with in some cases extended journey times."