Network Rail is offering advice to all customers in Bolton at the start of the festive period with planned work in the North West,

Rail passengers in Network Rail’s North West and Central region will benefit from a better, more reliable railway in 2024 according to the organisation,which says it has started upgrades and maintenance work taking place this Christmas and New Year.  

The essential upgrades on the West Coast main line, Chiltern main line and routes in the West Midlands, North West and Cumbria, have been carefully planned to impact the fewest number of passengers.

Network Rail is investing £15m this festive season on -

Vital repairs to steelwork and drainage near Manchester Piccadilly station.

Maintenance work along the track at Oxenholme in the Lake District.

Dave Penney, Network Rail’s North West and Central region passenger director, said: “While people enjoy time with their friends and families over Christmas, thousands of Network Rail staff will be working round-the-clock to maintain and improve the railway to provide passengers with better, more reliable journeys in the New Year.

“I know there is never a good time to disrupt journeys while we carry out large pieces of work but whenever possible we do this at times when there are significantly fewer people travelling by train, such as Christmas and other bank holidays.

"I appreciate people have important plans, so I urge them to please plan ahead and check before they travel for the latest journey information.”

Passengers are being given advance notice of further work on New Year’s Day near Birmingham New Street station which will mean fewer trains running between Birmingham and London Euston.