THE implication in your headline that long distance rail services through Lancashire will cease during extended engineering work -- 'West Coast line to close for months' (LET, August 29) -- is not correct.

The Strategic Rail Authority is determined to bring the upgrade of the West Coast main line under control and speed up the delivery of benefits for passengers. To achieve this, where there are alternative parallel routes, sections will be closed for a period to enable them to be fully upgraded in a fast and efficient way.

The fact that there are alternative routes means that through services can continue without major delays. Local services on the section of closed line are inevitably affected. Therefore, well-advertised high quality coach services will replace these.

Where there are no good alternative routes, under the SRA plans there will be less time when the line is closed. For example, the key route between Preston and London Euston will remain open for through trains for all except 13 days in 2003, whereas the earlier Railtrack proposal would have led to 42 days of closures with a near repeat of this summer and autumn's weekend closures for those elements of upgrade which involve blocking all the tracks.

Similarly, there will be fewer days affected in 2004.

The critical objective is to conclude the work on the route and achieve the upgraded services as quickly as possible. The revised programme will ensure that the new tilting Virgin West Coast trains can operate at high speed by late 2004, and that local services are operating on a renewed, more reliable track.

STUART BAKER, Director, West Coast, Strategic Rail Authority, Victoria Street, Lonon SW1.