SEVERAL years of disruption are coming down the track for rail passengers on the West Coast Mainline.
Network Rail are said to be planning a multi-billion pound infrastructure project titled Trilink to modernise the 150 mile stretch of line from Warrington to Gretna, including upgrading it from two tracks to four tracks.
The results will also lead to faster journeys and extra freight trains.
But in order for that to happen, there will need to be ‘blockades’ on different stretches of the line. This means engineers will move in for up to two weeks at a time, rendering it out of use and affecting hundreds of services north and south, and thus thousands of passengers, in the process.
Work is expected to start next year and go on into 2027 and 2028.
According to Rail magazine, the bulk of the 2026 work in Southern Scotland is pencilled in for April 2026.
Rail experts have described the scheme as ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’ to renew the railway and prepare the line for the future.
However, they are warning there could be much disturbance for many passengers as a result, including those travelling on Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express services, which go through Lockerbie.
Councillors in Cumbria have already discussed the issue, but it has not yet been publicly debated by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Network Rail were approached for further information.
