Commuters faced severe travel disruption this morning following a points failure at Earlestown, affecting railway lines into Manchester. The incident, reported at 5:49am, caused major delays on services operated by Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales.
Lines between Manchester, Liverpool Lime Street, and Warrington Bank Quay were temporarily closed. National Rail confirmed the points failure was resolved by 10:25am, but warned that delays of up to 40 minutes could continue until 9:30am, with cancellations and diversions still possible.
Transport for Wales arranged replacement road transport between Warrington Bank Quay and Chester for the cancelled 09:20 departure. Affected passengers were advised to use alternative services, including Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Northern, and TransPennine Express, with tickets accepted at no extra cost.
TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle were diverted, skipping Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows, and calling at Manchester Piccadilly instead of Manchester Victoria. National Rail thanked passengers for their patience as trains returned to normal operation.
