Britain’s busiest railway line to close for WEEKS at a time sparking ‘decade of disruption’ for millions of passengers
Share:
BRITAIN'S busiest railway line is set for a decade of severe disruption. The once-in-a-generation upgrades to 150 miles of Network Rail's west coast main line are due to begin in 2026 - costing an estimated £3.8billion. Sections of the line will be shut for weeks each year, planning documents reveal.
![[Avanti West Coast train on tracks.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2023-crewe-united-kingdom-cheshire-866522938.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The stations affected will include Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan, Pres- ton, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle. Sections of the line will shut for trains for three separate two-week periods each year between 2026, 2027 and 2028, a source has told The Times.
![[Passengers waiting at a train station during a strike.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/epa11802338-passengers-wait-trains-travel-961102764.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
They added that the levels of disruption have not been seen for 25 years. "There is a huge amount of planning taking place but it is still early days," they said. "It's a major project that will ensure the line is fit for the future.". Avanti West Coast, which operates trains between London and Scotland, has said it is currently unclear what the impact on its timetables will be.
The work is set to "renew" the line as apposed to enhance it, and will include replacing 155 miles of overhead wiring, as well as signal upgrades to 2,000 units and 140 miles of track replacement. 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.".
