Major disruption at Manchester Piccadilly after overhead wire damage halts trains
Passengers are facing widespread cancellations and delays
Passengers travelling through Manchester Piccadilly are facing widespread disruption after damage to overhead electric wires blocked several lines.
Train services to and from the station are being cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes, with disruption expected to continue until the end of the day.
Network Rail say they have teams on site working to fix the issue, which is affecting multiple operators across the region.
Which services are affected
Avanti West Coast trains are not calling at Manchester Piccadilly at all.
CrossCountry, Northern, TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway and Transport for Wales services are all impacted, with cancellations and altered routes in place.
Some Northern routes from Manchester Piccadilly, including services to Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield, have been cancelled entirely with no replacement buses.
East Midlands Railway services are unable to run through the affected area and are starting and terminating at Sheffield instead.
Alternative travel options
Passengers are being told they can use their tickets on a range of alternative services at no extra cost.
These include:
Metrolink trams between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria
CrossCountry services between Stockport and Birmingham New Street
Northern services between Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western
TransPennine Express services between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street
West Midlands Railway services between Crewe and London Euston
Replacement coaches are also running on some routes, including between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Macclesfield.
Bus services across Greater Manchester are also accepting rail tickets during the disruption.
Advice for passengers
Passengers are being advised to check their journey before travelling and allow extra time.
If a train is cancelled, tickets can be used on earlier or later services with the same operator.
Tickets dated for today will also be valid for travel on Friday 17th April.
Anyone who decides not to travel can request a full refund from their ticket provider.
Passengers may also be entitled to compensation if their journey is delayed.
More information and updates are available through National Rail Enquiries.