Coronation day marks six-day railway closure between Wigan and Bolton

The halting of services between the two towns, is part of Network Rail’s £78m rail enhancement programme to electrify 13 miles of track between Lostock Junction and Wigan North Western.

Between Saturday May 6 and Friday May 12, buses will replace trains between Wigan North Western, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Ince and Lostock.

They will also operate on the Wigan to Manchester line via Atherton.

To prepare for high-voltage overhead electricity cables, alterations need to be made to seventeen railway structures along the route, including Ladies Lane bridge in Hindley,.

The bridge next to the station – which will continue to have vehicle and pedestrian access upon completion – will also be reconstructed with concrete and incorporate 1.8m-high parapets to meet the required standards for electrification.

Hindley station has also been shut so platforms can be extended to increase passenger capacity.

Road diversions, rail replacements and bus routes are currently in place as well as a temporary walkway.

It was set to re-open in July, however difficulties aligning the work with other companies means the road will remain closed for longer than anticipated.

The work is currently being re-organised and it is not yet known how much longer it will take.

Claire Davis, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “We've reached the stage the railway needs to close in this important project which will one day enable cleaner, greener trains to run between Wigan and Bolton.

"While rail replacement buses will be in operation to keep passengers on the move, journeys will take longer and I'd advise people to check National Rail Enquiries so they know exactly what to expect while travelling between 6 and 12 May.”

Network Rail has also been criticised for not putting on a service to help children get to school due to the road closures.

Although there is no legal obligation to provide minibuses for schoolchildren as a result of these works, it did look into this option but found ‘inadequate turning points’ for their vehicles to get around.

This means that a number of children face a walk of just over a mile to the nearest bus stop for transport.