Busy things are busy for a reason. They’re usually either very good or one of very few options – and the West Coast Main Line (WCML) certainly applies to that latter definition.
The WCML is the country’s busiest train track. Running from Scotland to England, it’s the main route between London and Glasgow and goes via other major cities including Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, and it also sees 40 per cent of the country’s freight train traffic pass through. That means it gets a lot of wear and tear.
Needless to say the WCML needs a bit of upkeep every now and then – and soon it’ll get a major overhaul. In order to ensure the WCML remains functional for many years to come, a mega renovation project, spanning over a decade, has been planned with a start date of 2026. That means that babies born today will already be in secondary school by the time it’s fully complete.
The works will cost an estimated £3.84 billion, and will replace over 150 miles over overhead wires which have been in place for more than 50 years. Tracks in the affected areas – which are at various points along the line – will close for two weeks at a time, three times a year until completion. There will be rail replacement buses, but passengers have been warned to brace for ‘serious’ disruptions to usual services, but experts say that this work is essential to the future of the railway.
It is not yet known exactly where the WCML will be shut and when, although it is expected that a lot of the work will take place in the north of England between Warrington Bank Quay, in Cheshire, and Carlisle. Beware though – delays will likely pop up across the line, even in places which are not directly impacted by closures. Avanti, which currently runs many of the line’s major routes including Glasgow to London, say it has not yet received enough information to make changes to their timetables.
Train travel with Time Out
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