Network Rail is investing £2.3m as part of the Great North Rail Project to build a new railway bridge high enough for 25,000-volt overhead cables to pass underneath.

The bridge rebuild is needed so a £78m electrification scheme along 13 miles of railway can take place.

The major investment will ensure that older diesel trains can be replaced by cleaner and longer electric rolling stock.

By 2025, the electric trains will provide passengers with greener, more comfortable, and more reliable journeys.

To make way for the overhead lines, seventeen structures – like Chew Bridge in Westhoughton – need to be overhauled.

It will be removed on Sunday 23 January and a new steel bridge will be built in its place on Sunday 20 February.

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