WEST Coast Main Line passengers are being urged to plan their journeys ahead of four weekends of essential railway improvements at Preston station.

The complexity of upgrading switches and crossings means the railway will need to close completely between Wigan North Western and Lancaster on:

  • Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February
  • Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 February
  • Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March
  • Sunday 12 March

This also means no trains will serve Preston station at all on those dates.

Avanti West Coast staff will provide rail replacement bus services between Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster.

Network Rail is investing £1.5m to upgrade railway foundation stone and six switches and crossings – moving sections of track which allow trains to change lines.

This railway equipment is crucial to keeping trains running smoothly and Network Rail says that this maintenance will mean more reliable journeys for passengers and freight.

Where the West Coast main line is open, passengers are advised that:

  • fewer trains will be running,
  • services are expected to be busy,
  • journeys will take longer than usual,
  • people should check before they travel at www.nationarail.co.uk.

There will also be East Coast line disruption on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February. 

* A previous version of this story unintentionally carried the headline ‘West Coast Main Line to close for four weeks for station track upgrades’. This should have read ‘four weekends’. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.