Major travel disruption is expected across Merseyside and Lancashire after a car crashed onto a railway line in Salford in the early hours of Friday morning.
No trains are currently running on the Chat Moss line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, with the line expected to remain closed for the remainder of the day (Friday), Network Rail has confirmed.
Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales services are experiencing significant disruption until the vehicle can be removed from the line which connects Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.
Affected rail services include:
Northern services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport, between Wigan North Western and Manchester Victoria, and between Chester and Leeds and Manchester Victoria.
TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Hull, Manchester Victoria and Newcastle, and between Lancaster and Manchester Airport.
Transport for Wales services between Chester and Llandudno and Manchester Airport and Manchester Oxford Road, also between Holyhead and Manchester Airport.
Network Rail said the crash caused “significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables”.
Delays are also expected on the roads surrounding the incident, which occurred at Regent Road roundabout in Salford, while remedial work is carried out.
The driver of the vehicle sustained injuries which are said to be “serious, but not life-threatening” and has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Network Rail said: “We’re really sorry to any passengers affected by this incident and urge anyone planning to travel by train between Liverpool and Manchester to plan ahead and check with their train operator for the latest travel information.”
Disruption between Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria is expected until 1pm. today (Friday).
Passengers are being advised to check their journey before travelling using National Rail’s real-time journey planner.
Information on rail replacement services can be found here.
Replacement buses may be busier than usual and you should allow extra time for your journey.
In a statement to The Independent, a Network Rail spokesperson said: “In the early hours of this morning (Friday 7 February), a car crashed onto the railway near Regents Road Roundabout in Salford causing significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables that provide power to trains.
“As a result of this incident, no trains are able to run on the Chat Moss line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, impacting Transport for Wales, Transpennine Express and Northern Rail train services.
“Our engineers are on site working with the British Transport Police to remove the vehicle from the tracks and are assessing the situation in order to repair the damaged cables as quickly as possible, however the line is expected to be closed for the majority of the day.
“We’re really sorry to any passengers affected by this incident and urge anyone planning to travel by train between Liverpool and Manchester to plan ahead and check with their train operator for the latest travel information.”
