Wigan-Manchester railway lines to be closed

Network Rail is closing the Wigan to Manchester lines (via Atherton and Bolton) to trains and, as a result, Northern will not be able to operate any trains on the affected lines tomorrow, Saturday 17 November.

Network Rail sincerely apologises for the very short notice we have given Northern and its customers. We are using this additional access to finish off snagging and assurance work that is critical to complete the electrification between Preston and Manchester.

Without this work going ahead tomorrow, the completion of the electrification scheme could be further delayed and could cause further delays to the introduction of electric trains on the route. We want to safeguard against that.

Further potential weekend closures are currently being discussed and will be communicated once agreed.

Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience this short notice work will cause and urge all passengers check before they travel using National Rail Enquiries for all the latest updates.