North West England electrification schemes are a series of individual railway lines in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

that have been, and continue to be electrified and upgraded. It is planned that these schemes will result in a modernised, cleaner, lower carbon and faster railway with improved capacity.

Earlier twentieth century schemes

The

1955 Modernisation plan Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18� ...

for the railways of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

called for the phase out of steam traction. Under this plan, parts of the railways in the northwest of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

were electrified.

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...

and the Styal Line were completed very early on in this plan. It also included the line from Crewe to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

with Warrington Bank Quay,

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

and Preston following in the early 1970s. There was a pause in electrification projects in the late 1960s when money ran out but then the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

north of

Weaver Junction Weaver Junction is a railway junction connecting the West Coast Main Line (WCML) with the Weaver Junction–Liverpool line, opening on 1 April 1869. Trains bound for Liverpool from London diverge from the WCML at this junction. Weaver Junction ...

through the northwest of England to just south of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

was electrified progressively between 1970 and 1974. The line from Preston to Blackpool was also proposed as a logical extension for electrification in conjunction with the

to Glasgow scheme in a document published by the British Railways Board in April 1968. No further

25 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

activity occurred in the northwest until after 2009. There were some 3rd rail infill schemes though. In 1956,

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

adopted 25 kV AC

OHLE An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union ...

as standard for most electrification projects. Some exceptions for 3rd rail extensions were allowed and confirmed by the ORR decades later. Parts of the northwest had already been electrified with the 3rd rail system. In 2007

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

became

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and selected

Andrew Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Third Blair ministry, Blair ministry and the Brown mi ...

as Secretary of State for Transport. In 2009, Adonis in a government paper, put electrification back on the agenda and proposed infill electrification schemes in the North West of England as well as other railway electrification projects elsewhere. As of 2022, electrification in Northwest England is ongoing with civil engineering works such as bridge rebuilding taking place between Bolton and Wigan (17 total) and various other work is also in progress between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Merseyrail Development

21st century developments

The 2009 Adonis/DfT paper specifically stated that the work would commence immediately on the line between

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and a four-year time frame was given. The first phase of the northwest project was to be between Manchester and

Newton-le-Willows Newton-le-Willows, often shortened informally to Newton, is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census was 24,642. Newton-le-Willows is on the ea ...

. This would allow diesel trains running between Glasgow and Edinburgh to Manchester Airport to be replaced by electric trains throughout via the West Coast Main Line. Also reported in the paper was that the lines between Manchester and Preston and Liverpool and Preston were to be electrified. Work was announced as having started in the Manchester area in March 2011. In July 2012 the

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

announced new electrification schemes, all at

and reconfirmed schemes previously announced by Adonis. These were: Electrification of the 'North West Triangle' (Manchester – Liverpool via Chat Moss, Huyton - Wigan, Manchester - Euxton Junction and Blackpool North – Preston); and part of the Northern Hub (New Ordsall Chord). The North West triangle project called for a major civil engineering project to rebore the

Farnworth tunnel Farnworth railway station serves the town of Farnworth, in the Greater Manchester, England. The station underwent several name changes before the present name was adopted in 1974. It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line north of Manchester Vic ...

on the

Manchester–Preston line The Manchester–Preston line runs from the city of Manchester to Preston, Lancashire, England. It is largely used by commuters entering Manchester from surrounding suburbs and cities, but is also one of the main railway lines in the North West ...

in advance of electrification. In August 2013, the Department for Transport announced that the Windermere branch line between and was to be electrified by 2016. However, the Hendy review moved the completion of GRIP 3 to March 2017 with a yet to be determined date for completion of electrification. In December 2013 it was announced that the line from to would also be electrified by 2017. However, the enhancements delivery plan update of September 2016 moved the completion date with only GRIP Stage 3 (Option selection) being completed by then. On 1 September 2021, the Department for Transport formally announced this would now go ahead. Manchester Victoria western approach

In July 2017,

Chris Grayling Christopher Stephen Grayling, Baron Grayling, (born 1 April 1962), is a British politician and author who served as Secretary of State for Justice from 2012 to 2015, Leader of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016 and Secretary of State for T ...

, the secretary of state for transport announced a number of electrification schemes were to be cancelled including the Lakes Line from

Oxenholme Oxenholme ( or ) is a village in England just south of the town of Kendal, with which it has begun to merge. It is best known for Oxenholme Lake District railway station on the West Coast Main Line. By strict English definition, Oxenholme ...

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

. In February 2019 the final electric test train ran on the Preston to Manchester line in readiness for squadron electric service. In March 2019 the

Railway Industry Association The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the main industry trade group for railway equipment manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Eligibility for membership to RIA is simple in that it is open to all UK-based companies in the railway supply in ...

published a paper on Electrification cost challenge suggesting ways forward and a rolling program of electrification. In April 2019 the power was switched on from Manchester Victoria to Miles Platting. This section of line is now part of the

Transpennine Route Upgrade The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a major investment being made in the railway between York and Manchester ''via'' Leeds and Huddersfield in the north of England. It is the northern route over the Pennines, most of which is also known a ...

though. Most of the schemes first planned in the 2010 timeframe are now complete. From December 2021 onwards, Wigan to Bolton electrification and associated works was progressed. This will include Crow Nest Junction. This electrification scheme is claimed to also improve logistics and not have diesel trains running under the wires. The National Electrification Efficiency Panel (NEEP) is involved in this scheme. This panel was commissioned by the Department for Transport at the end of 2021. and chaired by Professor Andrew McNaughton. It is claimed the civil engineering costs have already been halved. As part of this schemes various bridges need to be completely demolished and rebuilt. In August 2023 the principal contractor started liquidation proceedings and work on the scheme was halted. The scheme was due for completion in 2025. At midnight on 1 January 2025, the wires went live.

Future proposals

In September 2020 the TDNS Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy Interim Business case was published but dated 31 July 2020. The principal recommendation was further electrification of 13,000 km (single track kilometres) of UK railways. This document proposed a number of lines in the northwest for further electrification. Page 213 had a list of suggestions including Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington and Chester to Warrington - often called the

Cheshire Lines Committee The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated of track in the then counties of Lancashire and ...

railway lines. No attempt was made to prioritise the schemes in this publication. As part of the

Transport for Greater Manchester Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is a local government body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. It is an executive arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), ...

's Delivery Plan, proposals have been put forward to electrify the line between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale via Mills Hill. This is part of the 2040 Strategy, and they aim to complete business cases for the early delivery of it with potential delivery in 2026, subject to funding.

Integration with other schemes

The

Northern Hub The Northern Hub was a rail upgrade programme between 2009 and 2020 in Northern England to improve and increase train services and reduce journey times between its major cities and towns, by electrifying lines and removing a major rail bottlene ...

and the Great North Rail Project are railway schemes across

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

that include electrifying lines in the northwest. The original aim was to have series of upgrades that would reduce bottlenecks in the

area. The scheme also involved building and electrifying the

Ordsall Chord Ordsall Chord, also known as the Castlefield Curve, is a short railway line in Ordsall, Greater Manchester, Ordsall, Salford, England, which links and to , designed to increase capacity and reduce journey times into and through Manchester. I ...

to connect Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly stations. Northern Hub - Manchester schematic improvements

The Manchester to Stalybridge scheme was originally part of Northwest England Electrification schemes but became part of

. On 18 November 2021 the

Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands or more simply, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), is a Government of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom government proposal published on 18 November 2021. It aims to deliver "increased capacity, fa ...

(IRP) was published. This government document states

HS2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to be Britain ...

will be built from

. and reduces HS2 to a high speed link from London via

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

to the north west of England just south of

Wigan North Western railway station Wigan North Western railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is a moderately-sized station on the West Coast Main Line. It is operated by Avanti West Coast, and is also s ...

. It is planned for Warrington to have a high speed link to a reopened Warrington Bank Quay low-level station. The HS2 track from the east will merge onto regular but upgraded track leaving the west side towards

Northern Powerhouse Rail Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), sometimes referred to unofficially as High Speed 3, is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The phrase was adopted in 2014 for a project ...

is also included in the plan. It involves building less high-speed rail than previously proposed. A link is introduced from HS2 to

via a section of new high speed line from reinstated low-level platforms at Warrington Bank Quay and onwards via upgraded sections to join the existing line to

Liverpool Lime Street Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station complex located on Lime Street, Liverpool, Lime Street in Liverpool city centre. Although publicly a single, unified station, it is operationally divided into two official railway stations: Liv ...

Summary of individual schemes

* Manchester to Newton-le-Willows - completed. * Newton-le-Willows to Liverpool -completed. * Liverpool-Wigan line -completed. * Manchester-Preston-completed. * Preston-Blackpool North-completed. * Salford Crescent to Manchester Victoria-completed. * Oxenholme to Windermere - cancelled. * Lostock Junction (Bolton area) to Wigan - started December 2021. Lostock Jct to Wigan electrification scheme 3

Lostock Jct to Wigan electrification scheme 3

Wires energised on January 1 2025. * Manchester Victoria to Rochdale - proposed.

Gallery of photographs of Northwest England electrification

File:New catenary, Eccleston Park railway station (geograph 3795610).jpg, Partially erected catenary at

Eccleston Park Eccleston is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 10,433. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the early history of Eccleston is marked ...

, in December 2013 File:Garswood 9 May West of Arch Lane Bridge.jpg, Electrification return wires west of Garswood station towards St. Helens Central, May 2014 File:319 on Carr Mill Viaduct.JPG, EMU crosses Carr Mill Viaduct St Helens 1st day of electric service Liverpool to Wigan route, May 2015 File:Euxton Junction electrification work.jpg, Electrification work at Euxton Jct December 2016 File:Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 1.jpg,

Salford Crescent railway station Salford Crescent railway station is a railway station in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, opened by British Rail in 1987. The station is west of Salford Central, west of and west of . It consists of a single island platform with a tic ...

electrification progress 1 File:Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 3.jpg[Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 3 File:Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 4.jpg, Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 4 File:Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 5.jpg, Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 5 File:Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 12.jpg, Salford Crescent Railway station electrification progress 12 File:Salwick rebuild 3.jpg, Salwick railway station rebuild for electrification File:Salwick rebuild 5.jpg, Salwick railway station rebuild for electrification File:K&W rebuild 2017-2018.jpg, Kirkham and Wesham railway station rebuild 2017-2018 File:Chorley Electrification 2.jpg,

Chorley railway station Chorley railway station serves the town of Chorley in Lancashire, England. Since 2004 it has been linked with Chorley Interchange bus and coach station. It is on the Manchester–Preston line. History The current railway station is a modern ve ...

Electrification File:Adlington Station 2.jpg, Adlington railway station 2 File:Adlington Station 3.jpg, Adlington railway station electrification gantries

References

External links

Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railways Website

Permanent Way Institution home page

Great North Rail Project - Network Rail

Northwest Sparks - Projects

Electric All The Way
– 1974 British Rail information booklet about the completion of electrification to Glasgow.
Rail Industry web page which monitors the progress of the project

Department of Transport – 2006 – West Coast Main Line – Update Report
North West England Rail transport in England Electrification Railway upgrades in the United Kingdom