Travellers are being warned of significant disruptions to New Year travel after £100,000 worth of high-voltage power cables were stolen from a critical rail project.

The stolen cables, which supply power to overhead lines for new electric trains, were discovered missing by engineers in Lostock, near Bolton, when they arrived for scheduled maintenance.

The theft, which occurred just before Christmas, involved the removal of high-voltage cables that are vital to a significant rail upgrade in Greater Manchester.

Christian Irwin, Network Rail’s capital delivery director, said: “I am very sorry to passengers who will be impacted by the rail closure.

“It is extremely frustrating for this crime to take place so close to the energisation of the line.”

Mr Irwin said they have been working diligently on the upgrade for passengers over several years, including during the Christmas period, and are collaborating with the British Transport Police to identify and prosecute those responsible.

This upgrade was due to see the line powered for the first time on New Year’s Day, but now workers are under pressure to restore the power before Tuesday’s deadline.

The rail project, which will replace diesel trains with electric ones, has already caused several weekend closures to enable engineers to complete the necessary work.

The missing 25,000-volt cables are crucial to the overhead power systems, which are key for the new electric trains.

Passengers travelling between Chorley and Bolton have already experienced major disruptions, as the affected section of the track was out of service for most of yesterday (December 29).

Passengers are advised to review their travel arrangements on the National Rail website or contact train operators for information on how this disruption could impact their journey.