West coast main line faces decade-long closures in multi-billion-pound overhaul

Britain’s busiest railway line, the West Coast Main Line, is set to undergo a once-in-a-generation upgrade, causing major disruption for up to a decade.

Network Rail plans to replace more than 150 miles of aging overhead wire – originally installed in the 1970s – alongside extensive refurbishments of signals and tracks. Industry insiders warn that the resulting closures will hit passengers and businesses hard, with some sections of the line closing for weeks each year from 2026 onwards.

According to planning documents, engineers will take full control of the route for three two-week blocks in 2026, 2027 and 2028, affecting the main artery linking Scotland and England. Similar ‘blockades’ are expected to follow over most of the next decade between Crewe and Greta, affecting Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle. While buses will be replaced, transport planners fear the knock-on effect across the UK could be huge, prompting some passengers to choose flights rather than trains.

One UK rail source described the scale of the planned disruption as “unprecedented in the last 25 years”, but stressed that the works, known in the industry as “Trilink”, were essential to the long-term future of the line. The complete upgrade covers 155 miles of overhead wire, 140 miles of track and the refurbishment of 2,000 signal units. Initial cost estimates are close to £3.84 billion, spread over 10 to 15 years.

Avanti West Coast, which runs services from London to Scotland, carried 32 million passengers last year and expects major changes to the timetable, although the company says it is too early to confirm exact details. Analysts point out that the canceled extensions to HS2, once seen as key to relieving congestion on the West Coast Main Line, mean such upgrade works are unavoidable 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 struggle with long-term infrastructure planning. Although he acknowledges the need to renew critical assets, he stresses the need for a strategic vision that encourages the shift from aviation to rail: “It is increasingly difficult to see how we can achieve this without adding capacity for cross-border services.”

Liz Cameron, Director of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, shares concerns about the impact of the upgrade on travelers but recognizes the importance of the upgrade. “We realize that the intense work will inevitably cause disruption, but it is important to minimize disruption in the short term,” she said. Network Rail insists it is working closely with train operators and wider industry stakeholders to plan the closures and manage the economic fallout.

The West Coast Main Line was last upgraded between 1998 and 2009, a long process marked by political disagreements and high costs. Lessons learned from that period are expected to inform this comprehensive overhaul, but with many years of partial closures certain and more to come, millions of rail users will be forced to navigate a decade of long diversions and timetable changes.