A car careered off the road and crash landed onto railway tracks in Salford, Greater Manchester. (Image: Kenny Brown/MEN)
A crash which saw a car land on railway tracks in Greater Manchester has sparked travel chaos.
Police said a car crashed overnight at Regent Road roundabout in Salford before landing on tracks beneath, closing railway lines between Newton-le-Willows and Manchester. The crash has also been affecting trains between Wigan North Western and Manchester.
Network Rail said: “We are sorry to passengers travelling between Liverpool and Manchester today. Due to a police incident overnight involving a vehicle on the line at Salford no trains are running.”
A National Rail spokesperson added: “Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western and Manchester Oxford Road / Manchester Victoria all lines are currently closed.
“As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed or diverted. Disruption is expected until 1pm.”
The road reopened at 7.30am, but major rail disruption is expected throughout the day.
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Trains could be delayed, cancelled or diverted, National Rail says (Image: Kenny Brown/MEN)
‘Major’ disruption expected until end of today, National Rail warns
National Rail has said Northern services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport, between Wigan North Western and Manchester Victoria, and between Chester and Leeds/Manchester Victoria have been affected.
TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Hull/Manchester Victoria/Newcastle as well as between Lancaster and Manchester Airport have been hit too.
Transport for Wales services between Chester/Llandudno and Manchester Airport/Manchester Oxford Road and between Holyhead and Manchester Airport have also been affected.
National Rail said: “Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
Video shows scene of Salford car crash
This video filmed by Manchester Evening News reporter Stephen Topping shows the scene earlier this morning.
This is the scene at Regent Road, in Salford, where a car crashed and landed on the railway track underneath the pedestrian walkway.
u2014 Stephen Topping (@stetopping)
Images show car on its roof and damaged barrier
Here’s a couple of photos credited to Greater Manchester Police which show the scene in the early hours of this morning.
You can see the car lying on its roof across the train tracks and the extent of the damage to a concrete barrier on the path above the railway lines, marked by pink plastic fencing.
The police were called at 2am this morning (Image: GMP via MEN)
The car careered through a concrete barrier (Image: GMP via MEN)
Driver arrested for ‘positive breath sample’, police say
Greater Manchester Police has said the driver of the car has been arrested.
In a statement, the force warned of disruption to the rail network as the car landed on the train tracks.
It added: “Driver arrested for positive breath sample.”
Salford crash causes ‘carnage’, local media reports
The crash has caused “carnage” at the Regent Road roundabout, according to the .
It reported that the car crashed through a concrete barrier near a walkway.
A 10ft stretch of reinforced concrete was damaged on impact, the same publication reports.
Driver taken to hospital, police say
British Transport Police has issued a statement saying its officers were called to the railway line in Salford at about 2am this morning.
A spokesperson said: “The driver has been taken to hospital for assessment but is not thought to be badly injured.
“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”
Welcome to our live coverage
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage where we’ll bring you all the details after a car crash landed onto railway tracks in Salford.