TRACK upgrades to the railway near Hartford will reduce delays for passengers and freight, Network Rail says.

The £700,000 Great North Rail Project investment will see around half a kilometre of track – dating back to the 1950s – replaced.

The section of railway acts as a bypass for freight trains – separating them from passenger trains and improving speed and reliability for journeys operating between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30, 530 metres of worn-out wooden sleepers will be replaced by modern concrete ones.

Northwich Guardian:

The stretch connects freight trains between the West Coast Mainline and Mid Cheshire Line

The new rail will be continuously welded – a technique which makes it stronger and better able to cope with heavy freight trains weighing up to 2,500 tonnes.

Tom Hugill, asset engineer at Network Rail, said: “Northwich loop’s £700,000 Great North Rail Project makeover allows the safe movement of freight and passenger trains essential to the Northern Powerhouse to continue across the Pennines and down to the south.

"This not only eases congestion on our roads, but also helps the environment as each freight train takes 76 lorries off the road.

“This upgrade also means less maintenance costs for the railway in the long-run, as the more modern and robust track can better carry the heavy loadings of the eight freight trains that pass through each weekday.”

There will be no disruption to passengers while the work takes place.

Network Rail says that each freight train takes 76 lorries off nearby roads, and every tonne of freight carried by rail cuts carbon emissions by 76 per cent.