NO trains will run between Warrington and London during a 16-day period this summer.

The West Coast mainline will close between Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, August 4, for ‘vital’ engineering works in the town at Acton Grange junction.

This means that no services will run from Warrington Bank Quay to the capital for more than two weeks.

Affected passengers are likely to face 50-minute rail replacement buses to and from Crewe station in order to complete their journeys.

Martin Frobisher, managing director for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “The West Coast main line is Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway – it is the economic backbone of Britain.

“With more than 260 trains using this junction every day, it is vital to keep it in good condition.

“We need to replace it and upgrade it to ensure a reliable railway for passengers for many years to come.

“To deliver work of this scale and magnitude, we must close the junction for 16 days this summer.

“The alternative would be many weekends of disruption to passengers and much higher cost.

“We have worked closely with our train and freight operator colleagues to minimise the disruption and to keep as many trains moving as possible.

“I would urge passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel.”

The Acton Grange junction sees a crossover on lines running north to south between Preston and Crewe and east to west between Manchester and Chester.

In total, £27million will be spent on upgrading tracks, cabling, overhead lines and signalling.

Robert Nisbet, regional director for the Rail Delivery Group, added: “This vital engineering work is part of the rail industry’s plan to improve punctuality and make journeys better while keeping disruption to a minimum as much as we can.

“We encourage people who are planning to take the train during these weeks to check before they travel or speaking to their train operator.”