Warning over festive delays on the trains

Route closures and diversions could mean travelling times from Blackpool, Preston to London rising to around five hours – double the normal time.

Passengers are being advised to avoid the West Coast main line and to check before they travel as Network Rail continues its programme of investment and improvements.

The route will be closed between Stafford and Crewe after the last trains on Christmas Eve until Sunday, December 28.

To minimise disruption, Network Rail, Virgin Trains and London Midland are advising passengers to avoid the West Coast main line unless absolutely necessary and use alternative routes.

Travellers between Preston and London Euston will be diverted via Sheffield and London St Pancras.

There is also disruption in and around London.

The closure between Stafford and Crewe is part of a £250m investment to provide faster services and capacity for more trains, including building a new section of railway over the existing main line, which will remove the last remaining bottleneck on the West Coast main line.