OREANDA-NEWS. The bridges are being rebuilt as part of the electrification of the line as Network Rail invests more than ?1bn in the north west of England to provide passengers with a better railway.

Rebuilding the bridges provides increased clearance to accommodate the overhead lines which will power electric trains which are faster, quieter and more reliable.

The latest opening dates for the bridges are:

- Stump Lane, Chorley: originally due to open 12 May – reopened on Tuesday 5 May

- Rawlinson Lane, Adlington: originally due to reopen on 22 May - due to open on Friday 8 May

- Station Road, Blackrod: on track to reopen as planned on 15 May 2015

- Chorley Road, Heath Charnock: on track to reopen as planned on 19 June

Highways improvements have also been made to the bridges at Rawlinson Lane and Station Road, including wider carriageways and footpaths.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “These bridge rebuilds are an essential part of the electrification of the railway which will provide passengers with a faster, more reliable and efficient railway.

“The hard work and professionalism of the teams involved has meant that two are able to open quicker than planned, meaning the local roads can return to normal ahead of schedule.

“We thank local people for their patience while we complete this essential work.”

The four new bridges will not need any major work for over 100 years, providing additional benefits to the local road network in the future. Work is due to take place later this year to rebuild Grimeford Lane bridge in Blackrod. Residents and local businesses will be contacted in advance to prepare them for the closure.

About Network Rail

Network Rail owns, manages and develops Britain’s railway – the 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts, and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations (the largest of which we also run). In partnership with train operators we help people take more than 1.6bn journeys by rail every year - double the number of 1996 - and move hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight, saving almost 8m lorry journeys. We’re investing ?38bn in the railway by 2019 to deliver more frequent, more reliable, safer services and brighter and better stations.