Major Rail Disruption After Emergency Tunnel Repairs between Bolton and Blackburn

Passengers travelling between Bolton railway station and Blackburn railway station are facing major disruption after urgent tunnel repairs forced the closure of all railway lines through the area.

The emergency work means trains are unable to operate between Manchester Victoria and Blackburn in either direction, with disruption expected to remain in place until the end of the day.

Northern have posted the following on X:

Due to urgent repairs to a tunnel between Manchester Victoria and Blackburn the line is closed. Services running through these stations will be cancelled. Network Rail are on site.

Services running between Manchester Victoria railway station and Blackburn via Bolton are currently starting and terminating at Bolton instead of completing the full route.

However, rail services operating between Manchester Victoria and Blackburn via Todmorden are continuing to run as normal and are not affected by the tunnel problems.

Northern has arranged alternative travel options for passengers, including the use of some local bus services where available. Replacement road transport has also been requested to operate between Bolton and Blackburn while engineers continue repair work.

Passengers are being advised to check station information and live journey updates before travelling as delays and further alterations remain possible throughout the day.

Image: Northern