Rail lines reopen after car plunges onto tracks

Rail lines that were closed after a suspected drink-driver's car careered over a roundabout and landed on the tracks have reopened.

Network Rail said the crash, which happened in Salford at 02:00 GMT on Friday, caused "significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables", closing both the main line between Liverpool and Manchester, and the Chat Moss line.

Efforts to get the Chat Moss line reopened have seen workmen create new metal brackets for the damaged overhead cables to try to alleviate rail travel chaos across the north-west and north Wales.

Major disruption is still expected until the end of the Friday because trains and crews have been displaced, National Rail said.

Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales services were all affected as a result of the line being blocked between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.

And while work to recover the BMW from the tracks has now been completed, it will take considerably longer to repair the damaged railway infrastructure.

Shortly before 12:00 GMT, a Network Rail spokesperson said the overhead lines "would take at least eight hours to repair once the site has been cleared".

"We anticipate the earliest possible time the lines can reopen is 22:00."

With Manchester United set to take on Leicester City in an FA Cup tie, kicking off at 20:00, the Network Rail spokesperson issued a warning to football fans heading to Old Trafford.

"We would ask passengers travelling to the Manchester United game to check before they travel.

"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."

Reporting from the scene on Friday, BBC Radio Manchester's Michelle Adamson said: "The car has gone through two trees - I don't know how, as the gap is literally the width of the car.

"The concrete from the barrier the car went through is about four inches (10cm) thick, and a slab of concrete has fallen onto the track.

"I've seen a team putting climbing gear on and abseiling from the bridge which the car crashed through this morning. They have been inspecting for damage to its structural integrity.

"There is debris, including glass and wires, everywhere."

Greater Manchester Police said a man in his 30s had been arrested and was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be either "life-changing or life-threatening".

The force said it was working with British Transport Police and Network Rail, and that initial enquiries were continuing.

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