Festive train work warning

TRAIN passengers are being reminded of disruption on the rails locally over the festive period.

Network Rail has confirmed that affected routes include the West Coast Main Line (WCML).

Rail repairs will be taking place during the days around Christmas and New Year.

As a result, there will be no trains between Carlisle and Lockerbie between January 1-7 because of signalling work.

Network Rail’s chief network operator Helen Hamlin said: “The period between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the railway and it’s the best time for us to do the major projects that will take longer than a night or a weekend to complete.

“We work with train operators to organise diversions and rail replacement buses for passengers who are travelling, but it’s still so important to plan ahead.

“That’s especially the case this year as we have some very big plans for improving the railway that will mean people may have to travel home on different routes after Christmas than the way they travelled out.”