Passengers warned as burst water main floods railway in Manchester

Passengers are being warned of severe delays to journeys after a burst water main flooded railway tracks at Audenshaw in east Manchester.
For safety Network Rail was forced to close the tracks and stop running trains when water started leaking onto the railway near Fairfield station at around 0200 this morning (1 September).
Train services are currently unable to operate in either direction between Manchester Piccadilly, Rose Hill and Hadfield, as well as Stalybridge and Leeds via Guide Bridge.
This is having an impact on TransPennine Express services as far as Hull and into Yorkshire.
Northern passengers are being kept on the move by rail replacement buses between Guide Bridge and Manchester Piccadilly in both directions, and also between Romiley and Guide Bridge.
Network Rail is working closely with water company United Utilities as it tries to get the leak under control so railway lines can reopen as soon as possible.
However, with the water company’s fix still ongoing passengers are being advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they set off on their journey for the latest travel information.
Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West infrastructure director, said: “We’re sorry to passengers impacted by this burst water main and we’re assisting United Utilities as they work hard to get to the bottom of the fault and get it fixed so trains can run again.
“I’d please ask people planning on travelling on the Glossop Line and between Manchester and Leeds via Stalybridge to check National Rail Enquiries before they set off on their journey today as this is causing severe disruption.”
Phil Sweeney, head of central operations for United Utilities, said: “Our teams are working closely with Network Rail to resolve the issue as quickly and as safely as possible whilst maintaining water supplies to customers in the area.  We’d like to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the burst.” 
For the latest updates on this ongoing disruption people can follow the @NetworkRailMAN and @NationalRailEnq Twitter feeds.

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