Major railway line closed after car crashes onto tracks

The main railway line that runs between Manchester and Liverpool will be closed for most of the day after a car crashed onto the tracks.

The accident, which didn’t involve any other vehicles, happened near Regents Road roundabout in Salford in the early hours of this morning.

Network Rail said it caused ‘significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables’.

No trains will be able to run on the Chat Moss line, which connects Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly until the car is removed and the damage is repaired.

Network Rail said the line was expected to be closed ‘for the majority of the day’, the BBC reports.

The car’s driver had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

The incident is also affecting the A57 Regent Road, off the M602. A GMP Traffic spokesperson wrote on X: ‘Regent Rd Roundabout, Salford. Please expect some delays this morning while remedial wrks are carried out following a 1 vehicle collision.

‘There will also be disruption to the rail network as the car has landed on the train tracks. Driver arrested for positive breath sample.”

A National Rail spokesperson added: ‘Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western and Manchester Oxford Road / Manchester Victoria all lines are currently closed. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed or diverted.’

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