Network Rail completes £41 million in investment in North West rail routes ahead of winter

Network Rail has delivered a £41 million investment into improvements to North West rail routes that aim to protect passenger journeys from weather-related disruption this winter.

In the last year Network Rail has completed preventative projects stretching from the Peak District to Cumbria to strengthen railway embankments and cuttings. Work includes improvements to drainage, and installation of soil nails and rock anchors to prevent earth movements alongside lines.

Among the biggest schemes to have been completed were embankment upgrades between New Mills and Hague Bar in Derbyshire, which will support smooth running of trains between Stockport and Sheffield.

Between New Mills and Hague Bar, Network Rail completed accelerated earthworks to stabilise a high-risk section of railway embankment and improve the management of water around the railway. By strengthening the embankment and addressing the impact of water on the earthwork, these improvements will help make this section of railway more resilient to future periods of heavy and prolonged rainfall.

Other major projects include earthwork stabilisation at Shale Cutting on the Settle to Carlisle railway, and strengthened defences from rockfall at Shap Thorn Cutting in Cumbria on the West Coast Main Line.

Rob Stephens, Network Rail North West route engineering director, said:

“We’re no stranger to storms in the North West – especially in the winter – and these multi-million-pound projects have been prioritised to prevent disruption for passengers on some of our most exposed and remote sections of railway.

“Alongside this our teams right across the network have also been out clearing drains, cutting back overgrown trees and thoroughly checking our infrastructure in recent months to pre-empt and prevent problems before they happen. By doing so we’re best prepared for weather extremes – which are becoming more frequent and ferocious – so we can react and recover quickly to keep passengers and freight moving safely.”

Work has been carried out ahead of what is anticipated to be an especially stormy winter as a result of the El Nino climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which in 2026 is expected to be the strongest on record and increases the likelihood of warmer, wetter and stormier winters in the UK.