Latest news with #WestCoastMainLine
The Sun
22-07-2025
- The Sun
Britain's busiest railway is shutting for 3 WEEKS next month for £20million demolition – check dates to avoid
A BUSY UK railway will close for three weeks as a major demolition gets underway. Passengers are advised to check the dates affecting the route, which is the most used in the country. 3 3 This August, engineers will set out to improve future journeys across three counties during a rare three-week railway closure. Network Rail teams will oversee multiple large-scale projects carried out through Stockport. The West Coast Main Line in Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester will be closed between Saturday, August 2 and Saturday, August 23. During this time the highly anticipated £20m demolition and replacement of Greek Street roundabout will take place. The roundabout is located over the railway south of Stockport station, meaning train service through the area will be brought to a halt during these dates. Tracks will be clear of most train traffic along approximately 50 miles of the line, between Staffordshire and Stockport. This is a major disruption considering the West Coast Main Line is Europe's busiest mixed-traffic railway. Rail works However, the roundabout construction provides the perfect opportunity for Network Rail to access the railway for dozens of additional railway upgrades. The largest of these schemes involves an additional £23 million investment. Planned works include the strengthening and waterproofing of the River Trent Viaduct in Stone. Scotland hit by flooding chaos as thunderstorms leave roads & rail lines completely under water Work will also be carried out to upgrade the power supply to overhead lines in Stockport. Meanwhile, track renewals will take place in Stone, Hixon, and Congleton. Railway point replacement will be carried out in Macclesfield while there will be platform work at Poynton station. The railway drainage system at Trentham is also due to be upgraded during this period. And a new footbridge will be constructed at Longport station. Smaller maintenance activities will also be taking place, including upgrades to signal boxes and level crossings. Condensing all this work into those three weeks is more efficient, helping to save money for the taxpayer while minimising disruption to commuters. Minimal disruption The alternative would involves years of disruptive weekend or overnight work. It has also been carefully planned during the school summer holidays, when less commuters are on the roads and railway lines. And those who are disrupted during this time can use replacement bus services or take trains using diversionary routes. As these will vary from day to day, anyone planning travel between theses dates is urged to use to carefully plan their journey. In particular, there will be no services north of Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester for the duration of the closure. Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail's North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, spoke about the works. 'We know that any railway closure means changes to people's travel plans, so we've worked hard to make sure we carry out as many improvement projects as efficiently and effectively as possible during this rare three-week window when routes in and around Stockport are closed," he said. 'When combined all of these upgrades will greatly improve the future reliability for passenger and freight trains on the West Coast Main Line for years to come. "During the significant improvements, we're advising people to plan ahead and remember to check before they travel by using National Rail Enquiries.' More on rail An English train station is due to shut for two years ahead of major £11.5 million revamp. Another major station is scheduled to close for a month while upgrades take place. Plus, London commuters were issued a travel warning follow significant delays this week. And a unique UK train station dating back 90 years will also shut for the entire summer during a major revamp. A huge new £166 million railway station is set to transform a market town with first mainline trains in 50 years. 3
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The estate on Birmingham's doorstep with a European name and no one knows why
Take a trip three miles west of Birmingham and you'll find a little estate with a peculiar name. Residents may consider the estate to fall within the margins of the city, but it is actually based just outside the border in Sandwell. French Walls is located just off the A457 Grove Lane, a key gateway between Smethwick, the town where it is located in, and Birmingham. READ MORE: I visited Midlands village that's lovely in the day but 'changes after 6pm' Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join The estate is a bustling residential area, made up of high-rise blocks, low-rise apartments and houses. Nearby is the huge, orange-and-grey, new super hospital called the Midland Met which opened in October last year at a cost of £988m. At the bottom of the road is a small industrial estate, where a £900k cannabis farm was busted in June 2023. And just beyond that, there's the Birmingham Canal and the train tracks for the West Coast Main Line, running parallel to each other, with the nearest station, Smethwick Rolfe Street, situated just under a mile away. It's fair to say the origins of the names of many villages, towns and cities in our region can be traced back through the ages - but for French Walls, that's not the case. For example, Smethwick was recorded in the 1086AD Domesday Book as being 'Smedeuuich' and it's thought the name either meant 'smith's place of work' or 'settlement on smooth land'. While Birmingham's name is thought to have originally meant the home (ham) of the tribe (ing) of a leader who was either called Birm or Beorma. In the case of French Walls, you'd be forgiven for thinking there was a French connection - for example, a wall was built using French stone or by a Frenchman. But just how and why the estate earned its name remains unclear. According to historians, the earliest reference to a place being called French Walls was made in around the year 1660, which referred to an estate in Smethwick called The French Walls. An old black and white drawing, from a bygone era, depicted the settlement featuring three houses near a pool. Renowned historian Carl Chinn MBE says the earliest reference he's found to French Walls is of a corn mill in 1810. According to the estate went up for auction in 1815 as 'French Walls Flour Mill'. It was listed as being on the banks of the Birmingham Canal, comprising of 20 dwellings in total. Part of the auction was made up of three houses, which were referred to as outbuildings belonging to French Walls Farm. Today, the area looks much different, and you'll struggle to find any reference to French Walls on a street sign. Its name appears on Google Maps as a relic of the forgotten past. But you can still find it remembered in French Walls Way, a small residential road veering off the A457 Grove Lane into the estate.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Crewe and Nantwich MP calls for West Coast Main Line improvements
An MP has called on the government to make improvements to the West Coast Main Line to "show people across the North West that this government care about their future".Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, spoke about issues on the line during a Westminster Hall debate and called for remodelling of Crewe also called for the government to "look carefully" at alternative proposals to HS2 put forward by the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West minister Lillian Greenwood said the government was "continuing to review options for enhancing rail connectivity in the Midlands and North". She added that more detail would be provided in the coming months. Naismith told a debate that the West Coast Main Line faced "critical problems" and said the issues were experienced by many attending the debate and their from across the political spectrum also spoke about issues they and their constituents had using the line including Labour's Jo Platt, Conservative Aphra Brandreth and Liberal Democrat Tim also spoke about capacity and said improvements would mean less congestion on the area's motorways."I again press the government to look carefully at the proposals developed by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, and Arup and other stakeholders, namely the Midlands-North West rail link," he also called for upgrades to Crewe Station, saying it had seen "little investment since the 1980s"."Failure to do anything is simply not an option, so I politely ask the minister, what will the government do to flesh out the options that they are considering?" he said."Let us improve the main line, let us rebuild Crewe station, and let us show people across the North West that this government care about their future." In response, Greenwood said the government knew there were "real and very understandable concerns" about capacity between Manchester and Birmingham following the cancellation of phase two of HS2."I also understand the frustration - and, frankly, the anger - that this decision created for leaders and communities across the Midlands and the North," she said she set out to the House of Commons in January that the government would not reverse that cancellation."I also noted that we were, and are, continuing to review options for enhancing rail connectivity in the Midlands and the North. That work continues and is now supported by the clarity that the spending review has provided," she said she was unable to provide more detail at this stage but said the government "hope to say more in the coming months, including on the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail", which is a planned link between Manchester and Liverpool. Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- BBC News
West Coast rail passengers warned of disruption until end of day
Rail passengers are being warned of major disruption along the West Coast Main Line. National Rail said an incident between Rugby and Stoke-on-Trent meant travel was expected to be affected until the end of the operators and routes affected are Avanti West Coast between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street, as well London Northwestern Railway between Crewe, Rugby and London Euston. Avanti West Coast passengers are warned that stations between Rugby and Lichfield Trent Valley will not be served, however tickets will be accepted on London Northwestern Railway between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via Birmingham New Street. London Northwestern Railway passengers are able to travel on Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry trains between any reasonable route. National Rail added that it had requested for rail replacement buses to operate between Rugby and Stafford, however the service was yet to start. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
30-06-2025
- The Independent
Disruption on West Coast Main Line after tree fall causes ‘significant damage'
Train passengers taking the West Coast Main Line have been warned to avoid travelling on Monday after a tree fell on lines in Dumfries and Galloway. Network Rail said the tree caused 'significant damage' to overhead lines after it fell on the track near Beattock. Avanti West Coast, which operates trains on the line, cancelled Monday's services and advised customers to seek refunds or travel another day. The disruption is expected to last until Tuesday. Network Rail said: 'Overnight, a tree came down near Beattock, causing significant damage to the overhead lines. 'This is affecting services between Carlisle and Scotland. Our teams are working as quickly and safely as possible, but unfortunately disruption is expected to last all day.' Avanti West Coast said: 'We're strongly advising customers not to travel north of Carlisle today, Monday June 30. 'This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Carlisle and Lockerbie, meaning all lines are blocked. 'If you were due to travel today between London and Scotland (Glasgow/Edinburgh), your ticket dated June 30 can be used on any Avanti West Coast train via the same route tomorrow, July 1.'
