Major West Coast main line overhaul to shut Europe’s busiest track for weeks at a time

Closing time: Clifton Bridge carrying the West Coast main line over the M6 in Cumbria – both links will close in January 2026 - (Network Rail)

Rail passengers on much of the northern part of the West Coast main line face several years of disruption due to a Network Rail project named “Trilink”.

The aim: to bring infrastructure installed in the 1970s up to 21st-century standards, increasing capacity for more passenger and freight trains and accelerating journeys.