Preston station in Lancashire reopened this morning (Monday 5 January), after engineering workers completed a major signalling upgrade.

The upgrade was part of a suite of works that Network Rail carried out on the West Coast Main Line over the Christmas and New Year period.

Starting the work on New Year’s Day (Thursday 1 January), specialist engineers installed three modern signalling gantries at the north end of Preston station, with five new signal posts and seven new LED signal heads.

This replaced equipment, including bulb signals, that dated back to the 1960s.

Train drivers will be able to see the new signals more clearly than the old ones, which will mean that services will run more safely and smoothly through the area.

The new equipment will also require less maintenance than the older signals, which Network Rail hopes will reduce the need to close the railway to carry out repairs in the future.

The upgrade was carried out while Preston station was closed for a full one hundred hours, which rarely takes place. Network Rail and its principal contractor, VolkerRail, carried out the signalling upgrade work.

Over the festive season, Network Rail carried out a lot of work in Cumbria and on the West Coast Main Line, as part of a £400m investment in the line over the next four years. Part of this work is still ongoing, with workers renewing a 130-metre-long railway bridge near Penrith.

As this work is continuing, Network Rail is advising passengers to check ahead of travel.

“We are investing hundreds of millions of pounds to improve future journeys on the West Coast Main Line and these latest projects will make real differences to passenger and freight journeys.

“We would like to thank passengers for their patience during our work in Preston and also across the wider network this festive season. With our major bridge renewal in Cumbria continuing until 15 January, we’d like to remind people to check before they travel while we make the railway fit for the future.”

Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director,