A suspected metal thief was seriously injured today after he fell more than 50ft from a railway viaduct, bringing part of the Metrolink to a halt. The 40-year-old man fractured his skull, pelvis and right leg in the fall near to Cornbrook station near the city centre at around 3am. Police said he was seen on the viaduct after the station was targeted by vandals who cut 'numerous' cables on the track around the station then fled. Metrolink bosses said security staff disturbed them but 'significant' damage had already been caused. The attempted theft led to widespread delays today across the tram network, with passengers travelling in Eccles and Altrincham hit worst. And the damage also affected public address systems at stops, meaning no announcements could be made to waiting passengers. The theft lead to the total suspension of trams on Eccles, Altrincham and MediaCity services. Replacement bus services were laid on and services 12-minutes apart ran on the Bury line and the South Manchester line from Victoria to St Werburghs Road. Engineers were working throughout the day to fix the damage. A partial service was restored after the early rush-hour. Police said they received reports of the man on the viaduct at 2.58am. The operation to reach him after he fell took place on Worsley Street in the St George's area near to the station. Fire fighters were forced to break open a steel door to gain access to railway arches underneath to reach him. He was treated at the scene by paramedics and rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where police described his condition as serious. A Metrolink spokesman said: "Due to the nature of the damage caused, we unfortunately cannot make any public address announcements to the affected stops. Engineers are working to try and resolve the damage caused, and information will be regularly provided through the website. Metrolink would like to apologise for the inconvenience that this caused our customers this morning." Hundreds of tram passengers were left stranded after metal thefts on the same line near Cornbrook in 2009 and 2010. Thieves who cut through a live cable on the track in 2009 caused signals to display 'danger' signs and trams to slow