Rail lines between Manchester and Liverpool have reopened after a car driven on to train tracks by a suspected drunk-driver was cleared.
Major disruption is still expected until the end of Friday because trains and crews have been displaced. Services operated by Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales are affected by the incident.
Images from the scene showed the vehicle upside down and surrounded by debris on the tracks in Salford
National Rail Enquiries wrote on X: “Lines have reopened between Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western and Manchester: major disruption expected until the end of the day.
“Due to train crew and unit displacement there will still be a significant amount of disruption, trains may still be cancelled, revised or delayed. It’s recommended that you check before you travel.”
Greater Manchester police said the driver of the car, a man in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. He was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, which happened at Regent Road roundabout.
Earlier, a Network Rail spokesperson said: “In the early hours of this morning, a car crashed on to 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 train services.”
The BMW car was removed from the tracks shortly before midday but Network Rail said the crash caused significant damage to the overhead lines which took several hours to repair.
The crash caused major problems for commuters and may also have affected football fans travelling to Old Trafford for the 8pm FA Cup tie between Manchester United and Leicester.
“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,” the Network Rail spokesperson said.
