Wigan North Western is set to undergo a multi-million-pound platform extension to provide passengers between Manchester and Leeds with longer trains.
The work is part of the Great North Rail Project and will see Platform 3 made longer to allow four-carriage trains to call at the station.
Northern can then provide extra capacity for passengers and move trains in and out of its new £46m depot at Ince-in-Makerfield.
Network Rail is to complete the £4m project funded by the Department for Transport to improve the reliability of train services in the North West.
Jonathan Hepton, sponsor at Network Rail, said: “This platform extension is designed to put passengers first, helping to improve capacity on trains from Wigan into Manchester and across the Calder Valley into Leeds.
“It's another example of the Great North Rail Project in action and will provide longer trains which means more seats for passengers.”
The work will start on 12 September and will be completed in December. Train services will not be affected by the work at the station, which is managed by Avanti West Coast. Passengers are being advised to double-check which platform their train is leaving from.
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “This vital upgrade work, delivered as part of the Great North Rail Project, will allow us to fully realise the potential of our new Springs Branch depot at Ince. This will, in turn, enable us to provide additional capacity for customers and deliver the quality of rail service they expect and deserve.”
Zina Nomicas, general manager at Avanti West Coast, said: “We're working with Network Rail and Northern to minimise the impact of the platform extension work.
“As always, our station team will be on hand to help, and we advise customers travelling to and from Wigan North Western during this time to double-check which platform their train is departing from. We would like to thank customers for their patience while the works take place.”
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I can’t see how platform 3 can be extended other than by abandoning pl. 2, removing the point giving access to it, removing the fence blocking the outer end of the platform and moving the signal back.
Platform 2 is being removed in the process, only Platform 3 will remain in use.
Which would cater for 4-Car diesel and electric units. Not a bad idea.
Not a bad idea to extend the bay platform at Wigan North Western to accommodate the 4-Car trains. And with Northern operating a shuttle service between Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate.