Lot of disruption to come...
Engineering work in relation to the electrification of the Manchester / Wigan – Liverpool route has commenced and will continue throughout 2012.
A series of overnight possessions for constructing masts and overhead wiring are currently occurring and from December 2011 late evening/early morning trains (between 2215 and 0530) have been replaced by buses between Manchester Victoria and Earlestown/Liverpool each Sunday to Thursday night; this will continue until 13 May 2012. Arriva Trains Wales services between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester are also replaced by buses between Manchester and Warrington Bank Quay.
At weekends between 18 February and 25 March 2012, structures work will be taking place between Manchester / Wigan and Edge Hill. On Saturdays, buses will replace trains between Liverpool and Earlestown and between Liverpool and Wigan North Western. On Sundays, services between Liverpool and Wigan North Western and between Liverpool and Manchester Oxford Road will be replaced by buses.
Structures work will also take place between Wigan and Huyton on Saturdays and Sundays from 31st March to 19th May 2012 inclusive (with the exception of Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th April when the line will be open for the Grand National).
From 20th May 2012 onwards, late evening trains between Manchester and Liverpool via the Chat Moss route, and between Wigan and Liverpool, will be replaced by buses each Sunday to Thursday night.
There will be further possession in 2013 for testing and commissioning of the first phase of the North West electrification scheme (between Manchester and Newton-le-Willows).
Stalybridge Remodelling
Work to remodel the layout of Stalybridge will commence from 26 March 2012, with the closure of the bay platform. Services which normally terminate and start at Stalybridge
will be amended until completion of the remodelling in work in November. Some services will be re-timed, others will start from Manchester Victoria.
There will also be a series of Sunday closures, from 1 April to 24 June inclusive, and from 16 September to 9 December inclusive. Northern Rail services between
Stalybridge and Manchester will be replaced by buses. Services operated by Transpennine Express will be diverted via the Calder Valley route.
The work at Stalybridge will culminate in a blockade from Saturday 27 October until Sunday 4 November inclusive, where a full service replacement plan will be in place.
Details of this will be provided in a future report to this Committee.
The remodelling at Stalybridge will provide a new through platform, and a new bay platform for terminating services from Manchester Victoria.
Rochdale Area Resignalling
Work associated with the resignalling of the Rochdale and Castleton area will result in replacement buses services operating between Manchester Victoria and Hebden Bridge
on Sundays 19 and 26 February, and replacement bus services between Manchester Victoria and Todmorden on Sundays 4 and 11 March.
This work is primarily at Thorpes Bridge Junction to complete the severance of the Oldham Loop from the mainline, leaving just single line access. There is a requirement
for a two day commissioning possession, the date of which is yet to be confirmed, but is likely to be during the winter of 2012/13.
Other work is being carried out during the possessions including tunnel work east of Rochdale.
