Blackpool branch lines 2 miles of the M55 also occupy the former trackbed, until the Blackpool North line travels under the motorway at the point where the lines used to merge. The electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool North route was announced in December 2009. The main work of piling etc. to accomplish this commenced in early 2017. Bridgeworks along the route to raise and rebuild those that had insufficient clearance for overhead wires was completed first. Services over both the Blackpool South and Blackpool North branches temporarily ceased on 11 November 2017 to allow the track layout at Blackpool North and Kirkham
Motorway man a regional sales manager, sales rep or production manager; a person who needs to be near a motorway to get around the country. The MOSAIC database, which divides the British population into different sections, and is used by the United Kingdom's three main political parties, Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, portrays Motorway Man as "exerting vital influence in marginal seats across southern England". 21 constituencies, located in the Midlands and North of England and adjacent to the M1, M6 and M61 were identified as marginal constituencies where "Motorway man" could influence the outcome of the general election. Among the