A person has died on the railway tracks between Liverpool and Manchester, causing significant disruption to train services on Thursday, October 22.
Incident on the Tracks
Trains were diverted following reports of a police incident on the tracks between Newton-le-Willows and Patricroft. Delays were expected until midday, with services running between Newton-le-Willows/Wigan and Manchester being cancelled, delayed, or diverted.
British Transport Police confirmed a person died at the scene. A spokesperson for the force said: "We were called to an area of the line between Newton-le-Willows and Patricroft railway stations shortly before 7.45am today (22 October) following reports of a casualty on the tracks."
Police Response
Officers attended along with paramedics, but sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
At the time of writing, Northern train services are unable to run between Newton-le-Willows and Eccles in both directions.
Affected Routes
Services on the following routes are affected by this disruption:
- Between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport
- Between Chester and Leeds
- Between Wigan North Western and Manchester Victoria via Eccles
Northern services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Central, and between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly, are not affected.
Alternative Travel Advice
Transpennine Express customers travelling to or from Newton-Le-Willows can use Northern and Transport for Wales services to or from Warrington Bank Quay. It is approximately a 20-minute walk between Warrington Bank Quay and Warrington Central to connect onto the next available service to or from Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester.
For people travelling to or from Lea Green and Newton-Le-Willows, rail replacement transport has been requested to run between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria via Lea Green and Newton-Le-Willows. Passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journey and check before they travel.
