The final stages of work to improve freight services on the West Coast Main Line means changes to trains over Christmas.
Network Rail has invested almost £200m to upgrade the Crewe Basford Hall independent lines, which take freight trains around Crewe station onto the West Coast Main Line.
To carry out the final stage of the work, there will be changes to train services over Christmas. Passengers are being urged to plan their journeys in advance as rail replacement buses will be in operation.
On Friday 27 December, no trains will run to or from Crewe, but replacement buses will connect customers to nearby stations. These are expected to be very busy and passengers should have a valid train ticket for their journey.
On 27 December only, buses will arrive and depart from Crewe Alexandra Football Club’s ground* from 7am. Signage will be installed, and staff will be on hand, to help passengers find their bus.
From Saturday 28 December to Thursday 2 January, an amended timetable will be in place. There will be a reduced service to Manchester and no direct trains to Liverpool on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 January. Rail replacement services will arrive and depart from Crewe station. Passengers should check their journey before travelling to, from or through Crewe.
The Basford Hall independent lines in Crewe take freight trains around Crewe station and back onto the West Coast Main Line, so services can efficiently transport essential goods up and down the country.
The infrastructure has been upgraded to make sure cargo can be delivered safely and reliably for years to come. There has been important drainage and track work, and a full resignalling in the area, to modernise the “traffic” system.
Jamie Morris, Network Rail programme manager, said: “The signalling upgrade work at the Basford Hall independent lines means that essential goods can travel by freight up and down the country safely and efficiently for years to come.
“I’d urge passengers to check before they travel from 24 December until 2 January as there are changes to services to, from and through Crewe over the Christmas period. We have worked hard to reduce the impact on passengers as much as possible, which means there is a different timetable on different days during this time.
“I am grateful to passengers and the community of Crewe for their patience during this important work.”
Network Rail is working closely with train operators to keep passengers safely on the move.
Taryn Banks, Avanti West Coast station manager at Crewe, said: “While this major work takes place, there’ll be changes to all services in and around the Crewe area. On Friday 27 December, no trains will run to or from Crewe, but replacement buses will connect customers to nearby stations. These are expected to be very busy and journeys will take longer. From Saturday 28 December to Thursday 2 January, we’ll be operating an amended timetable with a reduced service to Manchester and no direct trains to Liverpool on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 January. Anyone travelling on these dates is strongly advised to plan their journey, make a reservation, and check with their train operator as well as the National Rail website for the latest updates.”
Over the past two years, 65 new signals, 49km of cables, and 5km of new drainage has been installed to the independent lines. Other essential parts of the work included new buildings to accommodate the signalling system, new track equipment and structures, and upgrades to the track itself.
The signalling upgrade also means that three signal boxes** will close, and control of the traffic will move to the Manchester rail operating centre (ROC).
Network Rail is also advising passengers of work across the North West route during the Christmas period.
Engineers will be improving the signalling system in south Manchester and starting preparation work to the Greek Street bridge in Stockport, ahead of its rebuild next year.
Passengers travelling to London Euston are also strongly urged to plan their journeys in advance as major rail upgrades mean Euston station is expected to be much busier than usual from Christmas Eve, into the New Year.
More information can be found on www.networkrail.co.uk/wcml.
Image credit: Network Rail
