The steel structure for a new £60 million railway bridge that will carry West Coast Main Line services over the M6 has been completed, with installation scheduled for early January 2026. The newly released aerial images show the full scale of the bridge, which measures 130 metres in length, weighs around 4,200 tonnes and will replace a 60-year-old concrete structure currently subject to weight restrictions.
The existing bridge’s limitations mean only one train can cross at a time, causing delays. The new structure will remove this bottleneck and improve reliability on one of Britain’s busiest rail corridors.
The bridge will be installed between 1 and 14 January 2026, during which the West Coast Main Line will close between Oxenholme and Carlisle. The M6 will also shut in both directions between junctions 39 and 40 on two consecutive weekends in January.
The closures allow teams to remove the old bridge, position the new structure and deliver additional upgrades. More than 80 kilometres of overhead line equipment will be renewed, and significant progress made on a £61 million digital signalling upgrade north of Carlisle.
William Brandon, Network Rail project manager, said: “This ambitious project will provide a vital upgrade to the West Coast Main Line and improve reliability and journey times for passengers.
While we close the railway to replace the M6 bridge we’ll also be renewing more than 80 kilometres of overhead lines and continuing our major modernisation of signalling systems. We appreciate passengers’ patience while this work is completed, and I would urge anyone planning to travel in this period to check National Rail Enquiries in advance.”
Steve Mason, programme delivery manager at National Highways, said:
“This is an essential, once-in-a-lifetime Network Rail project to future-proof one of the most important railway routes in the country and it can’t be delivered safely without closing the motorway. At National Highways we are doing all we can to ensure the diversion routes run as smoothly as possible but with the minimum of disruption to local communities.
We are encouraging local people to find out more by visiting one of our drop-in sessions this month and carefully studying the leaflet arriving in thousands of local people’s letterboxes during the next fortnight.”
Chris Liptrot, operations director at Avanti West Coast, said:
“While Network Rail carries out essential work to replace the bridge, we will operate an amended timetable.
Some journeys between the North West, Carlisle, and Scotland will involve changes onto a shuttle service as well as rail replacement buses. We strongly advise customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”
Rosario Barcena, Skanska rail programme director, said:
“We have made fantastic progress. The bridge has been built on schedule and our preparatory work for the removal of the current structure and installation of the new one is nearing completion. These planning works include a trial move of the new bridge using self-propelled modular transporters before Christmas.
This progress has come as a result of close working between all the partners involved including Network Rail, National Highways, our supply chain team and local community.”
The installation forms part of a wider package of investment along the West Coast Main Line this Christmas and New Year, including a £26 million upgrade at Hanslope Junction in Northamptonshire, £16 million of signalling work at Preston station and ongoing signalling upgrades at Kingmoor near Carlisle. These schemes together form part of a £196 million investment across the northern and southern sections of the route.
