Railway passengers will face distuption for a decade amid a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’. Workers are expected to begin work next year on replacing the more than 150 miles of wires installed on the west coast main line in the UK.
Signal upgrades will also be carried out as well as track replacement. The move is aimed at keeping passenger and freight trains moving between Scotland and England.
Planning documents show that Network Rail will close sections of the line for weeks every year once the project gets under way. Engineers will take control of the line and shut it down for trains for three separate two-week periods each year between 2026, 2027 and 2028, The Times reports.
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Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan, Pres- ton, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle will be affected. Bus replacement services will be offered, it is thought, but train delays are likely.
This could cause levels of disruption never seen in the past 25 years. A source said: “There is a huge amount of planning taking place but it is still early days. It’s a major project that will ensure the line is fit for the future.”
Avanti West Coast said said it was too early to say what the full impact would be on its timetable. The company, which operates services between London and Scotland, could be nationalised and brought under Labour government’s control as early as next year.
The west coast main line along with the east coast line from London to Edinburgh and Aberdeen runs at close to capacity, meaning any closures result in a huge knock-on to services.
The work starting in 2026 is designed to ‘renew’ rather than simply enhance the west coast main line. The full programme of works is understood to include the replacement of 155 miles of overhead wires installed in 1974, when the line was electrified, as well as the renewal of 140 miles of track and replacement of 2,000 signalling units, MailOnline reports.
It has been suggested the final bill could reach £3.8billion over a ten to 15 year period but Network Rail could not confirm the total cost. The infrastructure operator has planned spending for the project until the end of the ‘control’ period, which runs until 2028.
The news comes after HS2 was scrapped by former PM Rishi Sunak in order to save money. Stuart Patrick, the chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is a demonstration of how bad we are at long-term investment in infrastructure — when you get to the point when you have to replace things that are 50 years old.
“The long-term solution to the west coast main line was supposed to be HS2, because we were struggling with congestion on the west coast main line. It is increasingly difficult to see how we shift from air to rail.”