Rail passengers heading to and from Scotland will take in a route not used for intercity trains for more than a decade.
Avanti West Coast is using the Settle to Carlisle line in a 73-mile diversion route to get around a closure of the line at Penrith for major works.
As of New Year’s Day the diversion route is running from Wigan but from Monday the workaround will be going from Preston when the city’s station re-opens fully after major signal upgrade works.
Read more: Preston Railway Station engineering works disruption begins 2026
Roughly every two hours a non-stop diesel service is being put on by Avanti to get passengers up to Carlisle or down to Preston to continue journeys while the Clifton Bridge works take place on the West Coast mainline.
The Settle to Carlisle route is renowned for stunning scenery and includes going over the famous Ribblehead Viaduct.
To undertake the route Avanti are using their bi-mode Class 805 Evero trains which usually run on the North Wales, West Midlands and Blackpool routes.
These trains are able to run on electric or diesel power, therefore with no overhead power wires on the Settle to Carlisle line, the operator is utilising the diesel capability of its new fleet to keep customers moving during the engineering works.
Until Monday (5 January), the railway will also be blocked just south of Preston, meaning on these days the diverted services are running between Wigan North Western and Carlisle. For the remainder of the two weeks, these trains will operate to and from Preston.
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