At the end of this month, train services between Southport and Wigan will be suspended because of major engineering works.

From Monday, 27th, until Friday, 31st July, engineers will be laying new track near Parbold, which will allow the removal of speed restrictions on the line that cause delays to train services in the area.

Trains between Southport and Wigan Wallgate will be replaced by a rail replacement bus service; trains between Manchester and Southport will also be affected and will terminate at Wigan.

While services are suspended, Northern tickets will be valid for travel on Merseyrail services from Southport to Liverpool, and on Northern services from Liverpool to Manchester, Preston to Ormskirk, and Preston to Manchester.

Anyone intending to travel during this period should check their journey details at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

In March, it was announced that Southport would benefit from Merseyrail’s offer of adult tickets for just £2. Last October, Northern ran a similar offer that covered travel to Wigan.

“Our teams will be replacing nearly a kilometre of track, sleepers and the ‘formation’ below the railway, as the current track is nearing the end of its life. Once renewed, the track will benefit from improved drainage and offer a more resilient, smoother, and more reliable railway. We know there is never an ideal time to close the railway, and we are using this closure to complete multiple pieces of work, avoiding the need for two or three weekends of disruption. The work has been planned into the school holiday period when passenger demand is lower. We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the closure.”

Derek Davies, project manager for Network Rail

“We’re advising customers to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys while this essential engineering work is being carried out. There will be no trains between Southport and Wigan Wallgate, but we will be running rail replacement buses to get customers where they need to go, and their tickets will be accepted on alternative routes.”

Stuart Taylor, Northern’s director of service delivery in Greater Manchester