Engineers are continuing with major track and signalling upgrades around Manchester this Christmas.
From Christmas Day until the early hours of Wednesday 29 December, teams will be upgrading the track in central Manchester in the latest stage of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
Work will also take place to install new signalling equipment at Manchester Victoria to bring a more modern railway and make sure trains can continue running safely and reliably.
There will be changes for passengers on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December, and between Saturday 1 and Monday 3 January.
This work is part of the wider Transpennine Route Upgrade which will bring faster, more reliable services for passengers travelling between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.
Network Rail is taking the opportunity to make progress on the upgrades on Christmas Day and Boxing Day when there are no timetabled train services. This allows workers to safely carry out the work and avoids major disruption at busier times.
Due to the complexity of the project, there will be some changes for passengers travelling to or from Manchester Victoria over the festive period and into the New Year.
Most services are being diverted to other Manchester stations to keep passengers on trains as much as possible. Some high-quality bus services will also be in place to keep people moving.
Further improvements to the track and signalling will then take place between Saturday 1 and Tuesday 4 January 2022.
Passengers are strongly advised to check their journey via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator and allow plenty of time. People are also reminded to continue following the latest Government guidance and wear a face covering on public transport, unless they are exempt.
Neil Holm, Transpennine Route Upgrade Director for Network Rail, said: “These improvements over the Christmas period are a crucial part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade which will transform journeys for passengers and better connect the North. As well as bringing more reliable services, the work will reduce delays and allow more trains to run in future.
“We’ve planned the work carefully to complete as much as possible on Christmas Day and Boxing Day when there are no timetabled train services running. There are some changes to services over the festive period, but trains are being diverted where possible for passengers who need to travel. I’d like to thank people for their continued patience and remind them to check before travelling.”
