Rail passengers and motorists have been urged to plan their journeys ahead of a major railway bridge replacement which begins tomorrow.
Engineers have spent 12 months in Clifton preparing the enormous steel structure of a new bridge, set to carry trains on the West Coast Main Line over the M6.
The previous Clifton bridge is nearly 60 years old and weight restrictions mean it can only carry one train at a time, causing delays to services.
The new bridge, measuring 130m in length and weighing around 4,200 tonnes, will be installed by Network Rail and delivery partner Skanska above the motorway at Clifton close to Penrith during a two-week period at the beginning of 2026.
The removal of the previous bridge and installation of the new structure will begin on the evening of New Year’s Eve.
No trains will run on the West Coast Main Line from Oxenholme to Carlisle until the morning of January 15.
The M6 will also be shut on two consecutive weekends, between:
- 8pm on Friday, January 2, and 5am on Monday January 5 2026.
- 8pm on Friday January 9 and 5am Monday January 12 2026.
The motorway will close in both directions between Junction 39 at Shap and Junction 40 near Penrith.
More than 80km of overhead cables which power trains will also be replaced, and significant work will take place on an ongoing £61m digital upgrade to signalling systems north of Carlisle.
To carry out this work, parts of the West Coast Main Line in the North West will be closed from January 15.
- From January 1 to January 4, the line will be closed through Preston, between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie.
- From January 5 to January 6, the line through Preston will be open. The railway between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie, will remain closed for work.
- From January 7 to January 14, the line north of Carlisle will be open. The railway between Oxenholme and Carlisle will be closed as the work to replace Clifton bridge continues until the early hours of January 15.
William Brandon, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “This is a vital project which will improve journeys for passengers for decades to come.
“While we close the railway to replace the M6 bridge we’ll also be renewing more than 80 kilometres of overhead lines and continuing our major modernisation of signalling systems.
” We appreciate passengers’ patience while this work is completed, and I would urge anyone planning to travel in this period to check National Rail Enquiries in advance.”
Steve Mason, programme delivery manager at National Highways, said: “This is an essential, once-in-a-lifetime Network Rail project to future-proof one of the most important railway routes in the country and it can’t be delivered safely without closing the motorway.
“At National Highways we are doing all we can to ensure the diversion routes run as smoothly as possible but with the minimum of disruption to local communities.
“We are encouraging local people to find out more by visiting one of our drop-in sessions this month and carefully studying the leaflet arriving in thousands of local people’s letterboxes during the next fortnight.”
Chris Liptrot, operations director at Avanti West Coast, said: “While Network Rail carries out essential work to replace the bridge, we will operate an amended timetable.
“Some journeys between the North West, Carlisle, and Scotland will involve changes onto a shuttle service as well as rail replacement buses. We strongly advise customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”
Rosario Barcena, Skanska’s rail programme director said: “We have made fantastic progress. The bridge has been built on schedule and our preparatory work for the removal of the current structure and installation of the new one is nearing completion.
“These planning works include a trial move of the new bridge using self-propelled modular transporters before Christmas.
“This progress has come as a result of close working between all the partners involved including Network Rail, National Highways, our supply chain team and local community.”
Anyone travelling on the West Coast Main Line during this period should check www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information.
