OREANDA-NEWS. Network Rail is to make additional investment in the line between Preston and Blackpool North as part of its commitment to provide a better railway in the north west of England.

As well as electrifying the line, a new modern signalling system will be installed while the track layout at Blackpool North station will be changed to allow for longer trains to serve the town.

The improvements are part of Network Rail's £1bn+ investment in the north west which will help to provide passengers with a faster, more reliable and efficient railway.

Completing the electrification, signalling and track upgrades at the same time will mean just one period of closure resulting in less future disruption to passengers and less of an impact on the local economy.

Martin Jurkowski, principal sponsor at Network Rail, said: “We have grasped the opportunity of electrification and the need for new signalling to carry out further modernisation and improvement work along the route which will provide a more reliable and efficient railway for Blackpool. This will help to deliver maximum benefits for passengers and while there will be short-term disruption while the work is completed, this will be far outweighed by the long-term benefits. We will work closely with the train operators to minimise disruption as much as possible and to provide passengers with the information they need to plan their journeys during this time.”

Rail minister Claire Perry said: “This is proof that our plan to transform rail travel across the north is progressing and will provide a world-class railway that offers more seats, improved connections and better journeys. This will help secure lasting economic growth across the region.

“In addition to the £1bn being invested in major transport improvements in this area, we have also asked Virgin Trains to look at introducing direct services from Blackpool to London from December, benefiting passengers even further.”

Rob Warnes, programmes and planning director for Northern Rail, said: “We are fully supportive of the further investment by Network Rail to develop the railway in the north. This new approach will allow more improvements to be carried out on the line than had been previously planned. We have been working closely with Network Rail to ensure this is carried out at a time which will have minimal impact on our customers and the local economy of Blackpool.”

Chris Nutton, FTPE programme director, said: "The railway in the north is being invested in and developed to improve customer experience, choice and journey reliability. Some improvements are being made now to allow for extra capacity in the future. We are fully supportive of this joined up approach. The engineering improvements in and out of Blackpool are two fold, with some of the work bringing benefits immediately and some of the work future proofing the infrastructure.

"Whilst any closure of the line is an inconvenience for customers it is much better to only inconvenience passengers once and complete the upgrades in one stretch as opposed to multiple closures."