Commuters are facing a morning of travel disruption and have been advised to brace for extended delays on railway services into a prominent UK city. Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales trains have been affected by a points failure at Earlestown early today, causing significant disruptions in Manchester. Railway lines connecting Manchester, Liverpool, and Warrington Bank Quay are presently shut down, with delays projected to persist throughout the morning.
Passengers have been informed that services are gradually returning to normal after a signal failure caused substantial disruptions earlier. National Rail confirmed that the disruption resulting from the points failure between Liverpool Lime Street/Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester has been resolved.
Despite the signal failure being rectified, National Rail has updated that disruption is ongoing on the North West railways this morning. Services between Liverpool Lime Street/Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester may still face cancellations, delays of up to 20 minutes, or revisions. Passengers at Manchester Piccadilly have been informed that trains are resuming normal operations shortly.
An announcement from Manchester Piccadilly mentioned the resolution of a track fault between Liverpool and Manchester, with trains getting back on track soon. A map illustrating disruption for North West travelers due to the Earlestown signal failure has been provided.
The incident, reported at 5:49 am, is anticipated to cause major disruptions until 9:30 am. National Rail has indicated that while the Earlestown points failure has been resolved, significant disruptions are expected to continue until 9:30 am.
National Rail disclosed that various services are impacted by the signal failure, including Northern services between Chester and Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport, Chester/Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria; TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle/Stalybridge, and Transport for Wales services between Chester/Holyhead/Llandudno and Manchester Airport.
Customers have been advised on alternative routes and services due to the disruptions. Rail replacement road transport arrangements are in progress for affected services between Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Piccadilly. Passengers are encouraged to utilize alternative services without additional charges to mitigate inconveniences during their travels.