Incident in Manchester? 18/07

[Andyh82]

Does anyone know what the issue is in the Manchester area. I’ve been stuck in Preston since 5pm having been booted off a service from Windermere, and nothing seems to departed or arrived from the Manchester direction for a few hours

There is no information as there as few staff about and announcements just keep announcing long delayed trains

 

[_toommm_]

Incident: Deansgate | National Rail

Major disruption to some routes in the Manchester area expected until the end of the day. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

The emergency services are dealing with an incident between Deansgate and Salford. Whilst they carry out their work, all lines between these stations are closed. Trains on some routes in the Manchester area may be cancelled, severely delayed by up to 120 minutes or revised.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Northern customer advice:​

Train services are unable to run between Deansgate and Salford Crescent in both directions.

Services on the following routes will terminate and start back from Preston where possible.

• Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness
• Manchester Airport to Windermere

Services between Manchester Airport and Blackpool North will terminate and start back from Bolton where possible.

Services on the following routes are now able to run to both directions, but may still be delayed or cancelled.

• Chester to Leeds
• Manchester Airport to Liverpool Lime Street

All the above routes are subject to short notice cancellations, alternations and delays.

Services between Bolton and Clitheroe are not affected by this disruption.

Due to this, you are advised to check before you travel due to major disruption and limited road transport availability.

What should I do?

You can travel on the following train operators and routes at no extra cost:

• Avanti West Coast services on any reasonable route between Manchester Stations and Liverpool Lime Street / Oxenholme Lake District
• East Midlands Railway between Manchester Stations and Liverpool Lime Street
• Merseyrail between Southport and Liverpool
• Metrolink services on any reasonable route
• TransPennine Express services on any reasonable route
• Transport for Wales services on any reasonable route

You can use your Northern tickets on the following Bee Network services at no extra cost -

• Metroline Manchester routes 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 50, 51, 103, 142, 143, 968, 370, 371, 38, 7, 201, 202, 203 and 382
• Go North West routes 8, V1, V2, 607, 608, 609, 35, 36, 37, 615, 575 and 576
• Stagecoach Manchester routes 11, 25, 41, 192, 378, 330, 358, 383 and 384
• Diamond routes 132, 516 and 385

Please note that other train operators may also be affected by disruption – please check your whole journey before travelling.

Northern train ticket restrictions have been lifted in the affected areas, including Advanced restrictions, during this disruption. Restrictions will be reinstated once the disruption ends.

Replacement transport:

Road transport will operate as follows:

• 18:00 from Bolton to Manchester Piccadilly
• 18:00 from Manchester Piccadilly to Preston
• 18:00 from Preston to Manchester Piccadilly
• Hebden Bridge to Manchester Victoria 18:45
  

Journey times may be extended by up to 60 minutes whilst travelling by road transport.

 

[Andyh82]

Thanks for that, when I looked earlier it was only talking as if it was a localised issue that could be solved by using bee network buses

I should point out they aren’t running anything to Bolton and unless they kept it a secret there was no bus at 18:00

 

[Kite159]

Thanks for that, when I looked earlier it was only talking as if it was a localised issue that could be solved by using bee network buses

I should point out they aren’t running anything to Bolton and unless they kept it a secret there was no bus at 18:00

It was probably a 16 seated minibus which randomly rocked up unannounced at the side of the station and departed on time with nobody on board

 

[py_megapixel]

Trying to wrap my head around that list of Bee Network bus routes...

Firstly why are they grouped by operator? The operator is irrelevant, and not even advertised anywhere, so is completely useless information and is liable to confuse passengers who expect to see "Metroline Manchester" or whatever on the front of the bus.

Secondly why are they listed in neither numerical order nor some sort of indication of area?

Thirdly, what is going on with the selection of routes listed? I'll be impressed if someone can find a way of using for the 385 or the 968 (this one is so obviously wrong it must surely be a typo for something else, maybe 368?) to avoid this disruption.

Entertainingly the 378 is in the list but not the 379. These are the same circular route, clockwise journeys numbered 378 and anticlockwise journeys 379. So, taken at face value, you can use this route but only in one direction?!?

Rail ticket acceptance on local buses in Manchester is now a very common thing that usually gets put in place quickly in the event of disruption. This is really excellent, I don't wish to downplay that. But if they want passengers to take full advantage of it then I do think they should work to improve the clarity of their communication

 

[HST125Scorton]

Unfortunately a body has been found hanged around the Winsdor Bridge South Jn area (Near Salford Crescent) closing the lines between Crescent and Ordsall Lane Jn info via Internal Source. To add to this the route via Salford Central is also closed due to the engineering works for the new turn back sidings there.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Unfortunately a body has been found hanged around the Winsdor Bridge South Jn area (Near Salford Crescent) closing the lines between Crescent and Ordsall Lane Jn. To add to this the route via Salford Central is also closed due to the engineering works for the new turn back sidings there.

Reported by 1C58 1529 Manchester Airport - Barrow-In-Furness.

 

[Acathater]

According to a driver there is another death at Ormskirk causing problems.
Many cancellations / terminations at Preston due to out of place crews.
Get the impression parking space is an issue as well

 

[Andyh82]

Oh dear this sounds like something off a TV drama, the auto-announcer kept saying ‘trespassers on the railway’ which obviously puts people in a different mindset.

However communication could still have been better up in Preston, there was one point where a Manchester Airport train was showing on time, hundreds of people were lined up ready to board, Avanti staff were ready to dispatch, then at the last second it was announced as a platform alteration, so everyone charges over the bridge and down the subway, train comes in, everyone gets on the train, every inch of space taken, presuming the line was now open again, and then the Northern conductor comes on with an incredulous tone as much as to say ‘why have you all boarded this train it’s clearly not going anywhere, get off’. Many people didn’t get off as it only changed to ‘Delayed’ rather than ‘Cancelled’ when the signalling system realised that it hadn’t set off yet.

So the incoming Northern crew knew what was going on, but whoever runs the station departure boards, presumably Avanti was just on auto pilot. It’s this sort of stuff which just puts people’s backs up and makes a bad situation worse.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I guess all in all I'm quite lucky to have only gotten home 40 minutes late, looks like I arrived as trains started to get moving again

Felt like no-one really knew what was going on at Wigan Wallgate, there was a point where we were all just watching the signal wondering why it wasn't turning green, and the staff were struggling to get though to control.

 

[Acathater]

Just got to Lancaster on an Avanti which is probably the last train north today
Three train loads on it. Apparently three coaches waiting at Carlisle for Edinburgh passengers. Unlikely to be enough

 

[800001]

I guess all in all I'm quite lucky to have only gotten home 40 minutes late, looks like I arrived as trains started to get moving again

Felt like no-one really knew what was going on at Wigan Wallgate, there was a point where we were all just watching the signal wondering why it wasn't turning green, and the staff were struggling to get though to control.

Staff struggling to get through to control because every station in the area and every guard trying to get through to the 2-3 people running the show.

Then people wonder why the situation at Preston in post 10 happens.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jul 2026 ==

Just got to Lancaster on an Avanti which is probably the last train north today
Three train loads on it. Apparently three coaches waiting at Carlisle for Edinburgh passengers. Unlikely to be enough

Then it will be a case of ordering as many taxis as possible to transit any passengers unable to fit onto the coaches.
Unless they have span some services at Carlisle to head back north?

 

[Acathater]

It gets insane. In the pub at Lancaster Station waiting for the driver for the Morecambe train of whom there is no news. Might be cancelled...
In the meantime those waiting on the train have in the main got off due to rival football fans on the verge of causing a riot. Happily they've mainly disappeared

 

[800001]

It gets insane. In the pub at Lancaster Station waiting for the driver for the Morecambe train of whom there is no news. Might be cancelled...
In the meantime those waiting on the train have in the main got off due to rival football fans on the verge of causing a riot. Happily they've mainly disappeared

I'd be hopping on a bus to Morecambe for £3 rather than hanging around.

 

[Acathater]

Earlier at Preston I overheard two Northern drivers trying to organise their own shift pattern to try and get something moving in the absence of info from control

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jul 2026 ==

I'd be hopping on a bus to Morecambe for £3 rather than hanging around.

I'm in the Tite&Locke drinking then off to the bus station. Got a pass so free

 

[driver9000]

I'd be hopping on a bus to Morecambe for £3 rather than hanging around.

Completely off topic but after 7pm buses are £1 in most of Lancashire. I would be walking down to the bus station too.

 

[800001]

Completely off topic but after 7pm buses are £1 in most of Lancashire.

Even better! Rather than hanging around a station waiting for what might or might not run. A bus to Morecambe isn't far or long in duration.

Obviously for other destinations bus might not be possible.

 

[Acathater]

Serendipity
The Tite&Locke closed exactly as the driver fired up the engines on the Morecambe train

 

[Rail Ranger]

Presumably limited route knowledge via Golborne-Parkside was an issue for Northern crews.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Presumably limited route knowledge via Golborne-Parkside was an issue for Northern crews.

That wouldn't've helped, it was Ordsall Lane Junction (where Deansgate-Salford Crescent meets Victoria - Eccles) blocked.
And I don't think they can turn around trains at Eccles, at least not easily (it wasn't done yesterday).


Based on the Driver/Guard route knowledge threads, plenty of depots cover that curve (there is a 1tph peak time service that runs over it, and some Cumbria services):
Drivers: Barrow, Blackpool (ex-TPE link), Buxton, Liverpool, Manchester Piccadilly (Link 1), Wigan Wallgate.
Guards: Barrow (ex-TPE link), Blackpool (ex-TPE link), Manchester Victoria, Wigan Wallgate.

 

[Rail Ranger]

The industry message posted upthread said that the Chester-Leeds and Liverpool to Manchester Airport services were able to run. The body was discovered just south of Salford Crescent.

 

[Trothy]

At the point I signed off duty, the Up Chat Moss was blocked by the rear of the train on approach to Salford Crescent, but the Down Chat Moss was unaffected. There is the ability to run bi-di on the Down Chat Moss between Eccles and Ordsall Lane Junction, but it's not that simple to arrange.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The industry message posted upthread said that the Chester-Leeds and Liverpool to Manchester Airport services were able to run. The body was discovered just south of Salford Crescent.

Nothing at all ran via Ordsall Lane Junction in any direction between 16:24 and 18:47.
Realtime trains link to prove it:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:ORDSLLJ/2026-07-18/1600-2000?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=actual

 

[Surreytraveller]

Earlier at Preston I overheard two Northern drivers trying to organise their own shift pattern to try and get something moving in the absence of info from control

Which is the way it should be. The one or two people in Control cannot possibly manage everything, and there needs to be delegation at a local level during times of major disruption

 

[Andyh82]

I wonder why trains were being stopped all the way up in Preston rather than Bolton, and I believe Calder Valley services were stopping at Hebden Bridge rather than Rochdale. Presumably Manchester Victoria was completely full of trains unable to move, it doesn’t take much to stuff up the platforms at the best of times

 

[Trothy]

Nothing at all ran via Ordsall Lane Junction in any direction between 16:24 and 18:47.
Realtime trains link to prove it:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...7-18/1600-2000?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=actual

Both 2F23 and 1D79 ran after this incident happened.

I'm assuming the decision was made after that not to run trains to destinations they wouldn't be able to return from.

 

[800001]

Which is the way it should be. The one or two people in Control cannot possibly manage everything, and there needs to be delegation at a local level during times of major disruption

Which would still have to go through control, but yes I agree, ground level can organise something with what crew is available.

 

[Fokx]

I wonder why trains were being stopped all the way up in Preston rather than Bolton, and I believe Calder Valley services were stopping at Hebden Bridge rather than Rochdale. Presumably Manchester Victoria was completely full of trains unable to move, it doesn’t take much to stuff up the platforms at the best of times

Because there was already trains stuck at stations occupying platforms along all of the lines into Manchester.

Bolton as an example only has a small number of bi-direction platforms, if you've already blocked them with trains spinning back to Blackpool and Clitheroe awaiting return journey departure times, there's simply nowhere for the following trains to also arrive and turn back.

 

[startingaparty]

I was on the 1520 from Preston to Manchester Airport yesterday afternoon. We left Salford Crescent and came to a grinding halt just outside. The conductor advised there was an incident on the bridge up ahead and that'd we'd be there for a while. Eventually, the train reversed back into Salford Crescent and everyone alighted there and made their own way into Manchester, most people walking the relatively short distance!

I have to say, I was grateful we were able to reverse rather than being held outside the station so we were only on the train waiting for about 20 minutes.

 

[Chrisbolton]

I was in Victoria around 16.30 heading to Bolton, attempted to go to Walkden instead but that seemed delayed/cancelled too - still, none issue compared to the person found