Network Rail is investing £725,000 to improve the reliability of the rail service between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester under the umbrella of the Great North Rail Project.

Some of these funds are being used to fill in a disused subway near Eccles station with 2,000 tons of stone to make the track safer and more stable. Network Rail says this work will also make journeys on this line smoother for passengers.
This upgrade work is taking place 13 August–21 September, with the railway being closed on the 8 September weekend.
Network Rail’s Project Manager for the scheme, Jack Ryder, said:
“As part of the Great North Rail Project, we are keeping our railways across the North in great working order by removing any obstacles that have the potential to disrupt people’s journeys.
“While the railway line is completely safe, our £725,000 upgrade work to remove the redundant subway from beneath the railway at Eccles will not only improve the quality of the track, but it will mean less maintenance costs are required at this location in the future.”
The Great North Rail Project includes Northern, TransPennine Express, Rail North, Transport for the North, Network Rail, Department for Transport, Cabinet Office’s Northern Powerhouse department and the Rail Delivery Group. The level of investment extends to several billion pounds to improve rail travel across the North.