Britain’s busiest railway line, the west coast main line, will be upgraded every so often, causing significant disruption for up to a decade.
Network Rail plans to replace more than 150 miles of outdated overhead wires, originally installed in the 1970s, along with extensive signal and track renewals. Industry insiders warn that the resulting closures will have serious consequences for passengers and businesses, with some parts of the line closed for weeks every year from 2026.
According to planning documents, engineers will take full ownership of the track for three two-week blocks in 2026, 2027 and 2028, which will impact the main artery linking Scotland and England. Similar “blockades” are expected to follow between Crewe and Gretna for much of the next decade, affecting Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle. Although there will be bus replacements, transport planners fear the knock-on effect across Britain could be huge, with some passengers opting for flights instead of trains.
A British railway source described the scale of the planned disruption as “unprecedented in the last 25 years” but stressed that the work, known in the industry as “Trilink”, is vital to the long-term future of the line. The full upgrade includes 240 kilometers of overhead lines, 230 kilometers of track and the renewal of 2,000 signaling units. Preliminary cost estimates approach £3.84 billion, spread over 10 to 15 years.
Avanti West Coast, which operates services from London to Scotland, carried 32 million passengers last year and expects substantial changes to its timetable, although the company says it is too early to confirm precise details. Analysts note that scrapped extensions to HS2, once seen as key to reducing congestion on the west coast main line, mean this upgrade work is inevitable if the line is to remain fit for purpose.
Scottish business leaders, including Stuart Patrick, chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, say the project highlights the UK’s struggles with long-term infrastructure planning. While recognizing the need to renew critical assets, he emphasizes the need for a strategic vision that encourages a shift from air to rail: “It is becoming increasingly difficult to see how we will achieve that without adding capacity to cross-border services .”
Liz Cameron, director of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, shares her concerns about the impact on travellers, but recognizes the importance of the upgrade. “We recognize that extensive works will inevitably cause disruption, but it is vital to minimize inconvenience in the short term,” she said. Network Rail emphasizes that it is working closely with train operators and wider industry stakeholders to plan the closures and manage the economic impact.
The west coast mainline was last upgraded between 1998 and 2009 – a lengthy process marked by political wrangling and rising costs. It is expected that the lessons learned from that period will form the basis for this major overhaul, but with several years of partial closures confirmed and more to come, millions of rail users will be forced to endure a decade of long detours and changes to the timetable to follow.