Easter rail closures planned to enable £400 million West Coast Main Line upgrades

Passengers travelling on the West Coast Main Line across the North West and between Stockport and London Euston around Easter are being warned to plan ahead as major upgrades get underway from 3rd to 20th April 2026.

Projects set to be completed span a huge area from Euston in the South to Preston in the North and include massive signalling and overhead line upgrades as part of a £400 million programme of works.

Improvements look to create a more reliable and resilient railway for passengers and will include:

• Renewal of key track, signalling and overhead line equipment between Euston station and Milton Keynes. 
• Signalling and track upgrades between Preston and Oxenholme. 
• Overhead line equipment improvements between Preston, Lancaster and Fylde. 

With travel across the North West expected by to substantially impacted by the works, Network Rail is advising passengers to be aware of the following changes to journeys:

• 3-8 April: No main line trains will run between Euston and Milton Keynes Central. DC Line trains will run between Euston and Willesden Junction on Good Friday (3 April) and Easter Monday (6 April). London Overground trains will run between Euston and Watford Junction on Tuesday (7 April) and Wednesday (8 April). Rail replacement services will run between Milton Keynes and Bedford and Milton Keynes and Potters Bar via Watford. 
• 4-5 April: No trains between Preston and Oxenholme. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line and bus replacement services will be in place. 
• 11-20 April: No trains between Preston and Lancaster. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line and trains will run between Oxenholme to Carlisle. Bus replacement services will also be in place. 

The West Coast Main Line – the railway that connects London, the Midlands, the North West and Scotland – is undergoing major renewal, including the biggest upgrade to its northern section in more than 50 years. £400m of improvements are set to take place in the coming years.

The line carries almost 2,000 passenger trains and 15,000 tonnes of goods every day, but much of its infrastructure is struggling to meet modern demand.

Julien Dehornoy, North West & Central Deputy Regional Managing Director at Network Rail, said:

“The West Coast Main Line is one of Britain’s most important railway lines. We’re investing in it over this Easter period to ensure a more reliable, resilient railway that communities and businesses can depend on for decades to come.”