BBC News - Manchester-Liverpool rail line closed after Salford car crash - 07/02

[Welshguy1048]

BBC News - Manchester-Liverpool rail line closed after Salford car crash

- BBC News

Rail lines reopen after car plunges onto tracks

Disruption is still expected until the end of Friday as trains and crews have been displaced

www.bbc.co.uk

The main railway line between Liverpool and Manchester will remain closed for most of Friday after a car crashed on to the tracks.

The crash, which happened near Regents Road roundabout in Salford in the early hours, caused "significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables", said Network Rail.

No trains are able to run on the Chat Moss line which connects Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.

British Transport Police and Network Rail engineers are on site to remove the car and repair the damaged cables.

'Expect delays'
Rail services on Transport for Wales, Transpennine Express and Northern Rail face significant disruption.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said a person had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving following the crash.

A force spokesperson said: "Please expect some delays this morning while remedial works are carried out."

Network Rail said the line was expected to be closed "for the majority of the day".

It said: "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."

 

[Geeves]

The car is upside down under the old Cross Lane Bridge in the middle of the rounabout so its gone a fair old way!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Cancellation reasons showing on RTT are "due to trespass".

Pictures in this BBC article:

Rail lines reopen after car plunges onto tracks

Disruption is still expected until the end of Friday as trains and crews have been displaced

www.bbc.co.uk

The main railway line between Liverpool and Manchester will remain closed for most of the day after a car crashed on to the tracks.
The single-vehicle crash, which happened near Regents Road roundabout in Salford in the early hours of Friday morning, caused "significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables", said Network Rail.

 

[The exile]

If, as the BBC suggests, it’s a single vehicle drink-driving offence, does “the railway” pursue the driver for all resultant costs? If not, why not? They should be on the hook for this until the last penny is paid (and not by the insurance company if they’ve even got insurance).

 

[TheGrew]

When I arrived at Warrington Bank Quay this morning (thankfully to go south to Euston), I wondered why Transport for Wales trains were terminating at Newton-le-Willows. Now I know why!
I traveled along this track at about 9 PM last night. You would have to either be rather drunk or have some sort of medical incident to put your car on the track at that roundabout.
I would speculate that the driver was probably approaching from the M602 side far too fast despite the repeated warnings on approach.

 

[cheekybifta]

If, as the BBC suggests, it’s a single vehicle drink-driving offence, does “the railway” pursue the driver for all resultant costs? If not, why not? They should be on the hook for this until the last penny is paid (and not by the insurance company if they’ve even got insurance).

I'd expect the costs are orders of magnitude higher than most people's personal wealth - isn't that what insurance is for?

 

[Statto]

Quite a bit of damage has been done, as well as the car bringing the wires down, part of the concrete wall is on the track too, plus they'd have to check the track for damage too.

I know it's Reach PLC, but live updates with photos shows the extent of damage from the incident on the M.E.N site.

LIVE: Chaos after car crashes at major roundabout and lands on rail tracks

Trains have been stopped between Manchester and Liverpool

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[AndrewE]

I'd expect the costs are orders of magnitude higher than most people's personal wealth - isn't that what insurance is for?

It is, but unfortunately (for the rest of us if we are not an injured party) some of our insurance premiums goes into a fund to cover the costs run up by uninsured drivers!

 

[PyrahnaRanger]

If, as the BBC suggests, it’s a single vehicle drink-driving offence, does “the railway” pursue the driver for all resultant costs? If not, why not? They should be on the hook for this until the last penny is paid (and not by the insurance company if they’ve even got insurance).

Very punitive, and as @cheekybifta suggests, probably quite outside the realms of most people's financial resources. Forcing someone to try and pay that money back may even end up having adverse consequences if someone feels they're stuck in debt forever, leading (potentially) to further consequences in future...

@AndrewE yes, and the pooling of risk means that some of our premiums will pay for the damage if the driver is insured, so we're no better or worse off in either case!

 

[OscarH]

Looking at the photo at the top, I was not expecting the driver to have made it out alive. Very lucky

 

[fishwomp]

Looks like it was the pedestrian / cycle area's bridge in the middle of the roundabout. Google Maps showed some work to strengthen the road parts of the bridge - but not this central footpath route. Very lost and far off the road to have gotten there.

 

[cjbirkett]

I do wish News websites would get details correct. The BBC site states

- “Passengers travelling from Liverpool Lime Street who need Manchester stations can travel via Warrington Bank Quay.”

no wonder people end up in the wrong place. There’s no direct service from Liverpool to Warrington Bank Quay other than the evening train from Ellesmere Port and the line between Bank Quay and Piccadilly is the one the car has fallen on.

They obviously mean Warrington Central.The distance between the two stations is a quite considerable walk and not one I would like to undertake with heavy baggage.

I do hope their info has not come direct from Network Rail!

 

[Oxfordblues]

We should at least be grateful that he didn't land on a train, or just before a train.

 

[BingMan]

It is, but unfortunately (for the rest of us if we are not an injured party) some of our insurance premiums goes into a fund to cover the costs run up by uninsured drivers!

The problem appears to be Network Rails own fault: an inadequate bridge parapet. Given the weight of traffic using the bridge it should have been constructed to withstand a maximum credible accident. Which, on a road used by 40 to HGVs is more than a mere collision by la lightweight vehicle.

 

[sjm77]

I do wish News websites would get details correct. The BBC site states

- “Passengers travelling from Liverpool Lime Street who need Manchester stations can travel via Warrington Bank Quay.”

On BBC1 local news this morning they have claimed every 30 minutes "No trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street" which is also totally incorrect.

 

[cheekybifta]

The problem appears to be Network Rails own fault: an inadequate bridge parapet. Given the weight of traffic using the bridge it should have been constructed to withstand a maximum credible accident. Which, on a road used by 40 to HGVs is more than a mere collision by la lightweight vehicle.

It's some distance from the road. Although obviously not far enough in this instance, I wonder how many bridge parapets on actual roads are built to withstand a vehicle impact at speed?

 

[jfollows]

I do wish News websites would get details correct. The BBC site states

- “Passengers travelling from Liverpool Lime Street who need Manchester stations can travel via Warrington Bank Quay.”

no wonder people end up in the wrong place. There’s no direct service from Liverpool to Warrington Bank Quay other than the evening train from Ellesmere Port and the line between Bank Quay and Piccadilly is the one the car has fallen on.

They obviously mean Warrington Central.The distance between the two stations is a quite considerable walk and not one I would like to undertake with heavy baggage.

I do hope their info has not come direct from Network Rail!

The media doesn’t understand geography north of Watford, Private Eye’s latest has Stockport in place of Southport, it’s not surprising.

 

[sjm77]

Very punitive, and as @cheekybifta suggests, probably quite outside the realms of most people's financial resources. Forcing someone to try and pay that money back may even end up having adverse consequences if someone feels they're stuck in debt forever, leading (potentially) to further consequences in future...

It is almost certain that the driver would be declared bankrupt and the debt written off so no benefit for Network Rail.

 

[thealexweb]

Is via Warrington Central cleared for 800s?
Is TfW running via Mid-Cheshire?

 

[Bletchleyite]

If, as the BBC suggests, it’s a single vehicle drink-driving offence, does “the railway” pursue the driver for all resultant costs? If not, why not? They should be on the hook for this until the last penny is paid (and not by the insurance company if they’ve even got insurance).

The insurance company has to pay out by law. It can then itself sue the driver, bankrupting them if necessary.

If there isn't one, the Motor Insurance Bureau generally pays, it has a fund all insured drivers pay into to pay for uninsured losses.

It's quite rightly this way as it ensures victims are compensated for their financial losses, which is more important.

 

[sjm77]

Is via Warrington Central cleared for 800s

Yes it is and happens regularly in times of disruption. Sometimes the 19:11 Edinburgh - Liverpool via Leeds is booked to go via Warrington Central.

 

[DJH1971]

Is via Warrington Central cleared for 800s?
Is TfW running via Mid-Cheshire?

TfW would have to go via Crewe and reverse on to the Manchester line.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I do wish News websites would get details correct. The BBC site states
- “Passengers travelling from Liverpool Lime Street who need Manchester stations can travel via Warrington Bank Quay.”
no wonder people end up in the wrong place. There’s no direct service from Liverpool to Warrington Bank Quay other than the evening train from Ellesmere Port and the line between Bank Quay and Piccadilly is the one the car has fallen on.
They obviously mean Warrington Central.The distance between the two stations is a quite considerable walk and not one I would like to undertake with heavy baggage.
I do hope their info has not come direct from Network Rail!

It did, well from NRE anyway in the Northern advice, it was there around 0900.
It's now been corrected to Warrington Central.

The early advice was for closure until 1300, but I see it now says "until the end of the day".

 

[sjm77]

TfW would have to go via Crewe and reverse on to the Manchester line

Although they are terminating at Newton-le-Willows at present.

 

[sannox]

The problem appears to be Network Rails own fault: an inadequate bridge parapet. Given the weight of traffic using the bridge it should have been constructed to withstand a maximum credible accident. Which, on a road used by 40 to HGVs is more than a mere collision by la lightweight vehicle.

It's some distance from the road but I'd have more questions about the vehicle restraint barriers along the carriageway being utterly demolished.

Looking at the trees clipped, barriers flattened the car must have been travelling some pace. Remarkable the driver is still alive.

 

[M60lad]

Their now saying the line will be closed for most of the day originally they said about 13:00

1> How will they move the car off the track will this need another road closure in the area while a crane is brought in?

2> Will they wait until after rush hour tonight before trying to lift it off the track?

Looking at the amount of damage I'll be surprised if the line does reopen before tomorrow at the earliest as there's a big gaping hole in the bridge that needs to be repaired or at least a temporary repair is done at least

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Their now saying the line will be closed for most of the day originally they said about 13:00

1> How will they move the car off the track will this need another road closure in the area while a crane is brought in?

2> Will they wait until after rush hour tonight before trying to lift it off the track?

Looking at the amount of damage I'll be surprised if the line does reopen before tomorrow at the earliest as there's a big gaping hole in the bridge that needs to be repaired or at least a temporary repair is done at least

I think the damage to the OHLE will be the big repair job rather than the wall.

 

[Howardh]

It's some distance from the road but I'd have more questions about the vehicle restraint barriers along the carriageway being utterly demolished.

Looking at the trees clipped, barriers flattened the car must have been travelling some pace. Remarkable the driver is still alive.

Other than "how did he survive that?" my first though was how did the car get through the barriers? Considering the bridge is used daily by thousands of HGV's I would have thought the bridge was designed to keep errant HGV's on the road and not onto the rails?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

TfW would have to go via Crewe and reverse on to the Manchester line.

From previous threads, it seems Chester/North Wales crews do not sign Crewe-Piccadilly via Wilmslow, nor vice versa.
They could probably do Chester-Piccadilly via Northwich but seem reluctant to do that these days.

 

[Andyh82]

You can tell that none of the reporters either at the BBC or elsewhere are aware that there are two ‘main lines’ between Manchester and Liverpool and direct trains are still running every half hour between the major cities