School holidays warning to rail passengers over engineering work as trains cancelled

A large stretch of track is being replaced

A warning has been issued to rail passengers ahead of a planned track closure due to key engineering work.

As the school holidays begin, Network Rail has urged all commuters seeking to travel between Wigan and Southport to plan ahead.

Engineering teams will begin replacing ‘ageing track’ in the Parbold area of Wigan from next Monday – July 27 – in a programme of work set to last until Friday, July 31.

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In a statement, Network Rail said: “This means no trains will run between Southport and Wigan Wallgate during this period. Replacement buses will be available between the two destinations. Trains between Manchester and Southport will terminate at Wigan. Trains will begin running again on Saturday 1 August.”

Sleepers and ballast will also be replaced, together with around a a kilometre of track.

Derek Davies, project manager for Network Rail, said the current track was ‘nearing the end of its life’. “Once renewed, the track will benefit from improved drainage and offer a more resilient, smoother, and more reliable railway,” he said.

“We know there is never an ideal time to close the railway and we are using this closure to complete multiple pieces of work, avoiding the need for two or three weekends of disruption. We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the closure.”

Stuart Taylor, Northern’s director of service delivery in Greater Manchester, said: “We’re advising customers to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys while this essential engineering work is being carried out. There will be no trains between Southport and Wigan Wallgate, but we will be running rail replacement buses to get customers where they need to go and their tickets will be accepted on alternative routes.”

Northern customers will be able to use their tickets to travel on Merseyrail’s Southport-Liverpool services, and Northern’s Liverpool-Manchester, Preston-Ormskirk and Preston-Manchester services.