Railway re-opens after 16-day overhaul of key junction on West Coast main line

Passengers are benefiting from a more reliable railway today (August 5) with the West Coast main line fully reopen after the major renewal of Acton Grange junction near Warrington.

The £27m overhaul, as part of the Great North Rail Project, saw upgrades to track, cabling, overhead lines and signalling.

The vital 16-day upgrade has brought outdated track and equipment up to modern standards and further improved the reliability of the economically-important West Coast main line.

While the work took place many trains were re-routed.

The travel plan was agreed by the rail industry to keep passengers and goods moving on trains as much as possible.

The work finished as planned, despite the team experiencing extreme weather changes over the past two weeks, including extreme temperatures, heavy rain and thunderstorms.

David Golding, acting route managing director, said: “Our complete overhaul of Acton Grange junction is vital as it sits on the West Coast main line, Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.

“With more than 260 trains using this junction every day it is important to keep it in a safe, good condition. Our upgrades will ensure this vital part of the railway stays reliable for passengers for many years to come.”

He added: “I want to thank passengers for bearing with us while we delivered this much-needed work.”

Network Rail said it has minimised future disruption to passengers in the area by bringing forward other engineering work to coincide with the 16-day closure of Acton Grange junction.

Teams upgraded 4km of track and 2km of drainage through nearby Sutton Tunnel. A track crossing was also removed near Runcorn East station.

This saved a further 13-day closure of the West Coast main line and has improved safety and reliability of these well-used sections of track.