A railway bridge in Atherton, Greater Manchester is being replaced as part of the Great North Rail project.

The Shakerley Lane bridge over the railway will be replaced in a £3m investment.

At the same time, more than a mile of track drainage will be replaced, to help alleviate the problem of flooding between Manchester and Hindley.

A series of weekend closures of the railway line will take place along with the closure of Shakerley Lane.

Trains services may be diverted and buses will be replacing trains between Wigan Wallgate and Manchester Victoria via Walkden on the following dates:-

• Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 February 2021
• Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2021
• Sundays 7, 14, 21 and 28 March 2021

The bridge on Shakerley Lane will be closed between Monday 4 January until Friday 23 April.

Paul Hodson, head of capital delivery for Network Rail, said: “The work in Atherton as part of the Great North Rail Project will secure the future of this key Greater Manchester route for decades to come.”

“As with any major project like this there will be some disruption and I’d like to thank passengers and local people for their patience.”

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern said: “This vital work being carried out by Network Rail will improve the reliability of the railway in Greater Manchester and secure it for future use for our passengers.”

“We will continue to work closely with colleagues across the rail industry to minimise the impact on our customers and I’d like to thank them in advance for their patience and understanding while the work is completed. Please remember to plan journeys ahead of time and check for the latest travel information.”

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