Major investment for Southport-Wigan route

Passengers travelling between Southport and Wigan will soon benefit from more reliable journeys after Network Rail confirmed details of a £13m investment to improve the track along the route.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail area director commented: “The investment we are making will provide a smoother ride and a more reliable service for passengers travelling between Southport and Wigan. The track here along this route is extremely old and was beginning to have an adverse affect on train punctuality. We’ll be replacing over 11 miles of track which will allow more trains to run on time along this important route.”

Work starts on site in week commencing 12 August with the majority due to be completed by December. Most of the work will take place overnight when trains are not running but there will be some impact on late evening services between Southport and Wigan, Monday to Thursday.

Lee Wasnidge, Area Director for Northern Rail: “Further investment in rail in the region is again turning the spotlight on the growing economy in the North of England. Although there will be some short-term disruption for our customers, we’d like to reassure them that this improvement package between Southport and Wigan will help us provide a comfortable and more reliable service for them on one of our busiest lines of route. We’re delighted to be able to bring the benefits of a resolute working partnership to our customers.”

Councillor Doreen Dickinson is Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Metrolink and Rail Networks Sub Committee, which monitors rail services across Greater Manchester. She welcomed the news, saying: “This major investment is great news for local rail passengers using services on this line. I’m pleased to see that sustained pressure from members of this committee to improve the performance of train services on this route is reaping rewards for passengers.

“Network Rail and Northern Rail have raised their game and we’ve seen some real improvements to punctuality and reliability recently. I look forward to a step-change in train service performance when these works are completed later this year.”