There will be no trains between Liverpool and Manchester before 22:00 GMT, National Rail estimates, after a car crashed on to tracks near Salford
Repair work is under way, with welders creating new parts to mend overhead cables damaged in the incident
The car has been removed from the line and a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving
Police say his injuries are not thought to be life-changing or life-threatening
Services on the Chat Moss line to destinations across northern England and north Wales are also expected to be severely disrupted for the rest of the day
Rail replacement buses are running and anyone who's had to abandon their journey due to cancellations has been told they should be able to get a refund
Edited by Johanna Chisholm
We're ending our live coverage of the aftermath of a car crash in Salford in the early hours of Friday.
Before we go, here's a recap of what happened today:
If you'd like to check-in with our news story, we'll share any further updates there.
With the ongoing disruption to rail services, those heading to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium for the FA Cup match at 20:00 GMT have been warned to check ahead before travelling.
As we've reported, there will be no trains between Liverpool and Manchester before 22:00 GMT, National Rail estimates.
Network Rail – which owns, operates and repairs most of the UK’s railways – earlier apologised to passengers and urged those planning to travel between the two cities to keep checking for the latest information.
For rail passengers impacted by the disruption caused by a car crashing on to the tracks near Salford, broadly speaking Network Rail is giving out five key bits of advice:
The specific advice gets quite detailed depending on the route – you can find all the info on the Network Rail website., external
Overnight, a car crashed over a roundabout in Salford and landed on a key part of the rail network between Liverpool and Manchester.
This happened at about 02:00 GMT, but has caused severe disruptions and delays to commuters in the area throughout the day.
Here's a look at how the day unfolded in pictures:
The driver, who suffered serious but not life threatening injuries, has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving
A section of the concrete barrier on the railway bridge was left missing where the car crashed through it
Engineers stayed at the site of the crash from the early hours of the day
The car was eventually removed from the tracks by mid-afternoon
We've been reporting on disruption to services caused by a car crashing on to the tracks near Salford, but that's not the only rail disruption impacting Manchester this evening.
Network Rail also says a fault with the signalling system in the Heald Green area means "all lines are blocked" and trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport may be cancelled or severely delayed.
Some TransPennine Express, Northern and Transport for Wales services are impacted and travellers are advised to check before they start their journey, external.
The "major disruption" is expected to last until 19:45 GMT, Network Rail says.
National Rail is still warning passengers travelling to and from Manchester to expect significant disruption after the crash that's forced the closure of the Chat Moss line.
Services from Liverpool are the worst affected, with journeys operated by Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales all facing delays and cancellations.
Efforts to repair the railway are continuing, with Network Rail estimating they should be complete by about 22:00 GMT, when services will begin return to normal.
Efforts to get the Chat Moss line reopened have seen workmen create new metal brackets from scratch to replace those damaged in the car crash.
A Network Rail spokesperson said they had been transferred directly to site “for installation within four hours to help us get the line reopened as soon as possible”.
Work takes place on one of the new brackets to be used in the repairs
We've been hearing a lot from Network Rail and National Rail today, who have been providing passengers with updates on the repairs being undertaken and how services are being affected by the line closure.
While you're probably used to seeing the names of these two bodies, not everyone will be familiar with the different roles they play.
Network Rail owns, operates and repairs most of the UK’s railways, and owns infrastructure like tracks, signals and overhead wires. It was set up in 2002 by the government.
National Rail is a brand set up by a group representing passenger train operators. It manages the sale of train tickets and promotes services across the UK.
The electric cables above trains can be damaged by high winds, power failures, extreme heat or, as in this case, being hit by another object.
Network Rail has a protocol for dealing with damage to these cables, which help power trains.
This includes turning off electricity to the area so engineers can begin repairs, and the use of specialist vehicles to help them work at height.
After the repairs are finished, tests are carried out to ensure the cables are safe. Then the power is switched back on.
The car plummeted on to the tracks, damaging electrical cables in the process
With trains heavily disrupted by the crash, National Rail says those who had to abandon their journey due to cancellations should be able to get a refund at the point of purchase.
But a spokesperson for the network operator says those who bought tickets from a third-party seller may have to pay an admin fee.
For those joining us this afternoon, here’s a recap of what we know so far:
Network Rail has shared another photo of the car that crashed on to the railway line in Salford in the early hours this morning.
A Network Rail spokesperson says: "Due to a vehicle on the track we have been unable to run services today between Liverpool and Manchester.
"The vehicle has now been removed and we can now repair damage to overhead lines."
Passengers are being reminded to check before they travel.
The car has now been removed from the railway line
Phil Cunliffe
BBC North West Tonight
What appears to have happened is that a BMW has come off the M602 motorway and remarkably gone between two trees.
It's bounced and hit the side of a barrier and continued its journey to another concrete barrier, smashed through it and dropped on to the railway tracks below, about 20ft down.
It's straddled across those two tracks completely blocking it.
In the last hour or so, Network Rail have arranged for a road-railer to take away the car.
That's now been removed from the track. There is extensive damage to the overhead power cables and therefore there are currently no trains running along this route between Liverpool and Manchester.
Here's a reminder of the rail services affected as significant disruption is expected to continue on the Liverpool-Manchester line for most of the day.
National Rail says all lines will remain closed through Eccles until repairs are finished.
Passengers are being warned of disruption to the following services:
The BBC's Phil Cunliffe is on the scene for us, and in the video below he shows where the car appears to have left the road and how it then ended up on the railway tracks.
This video can not be played
The route the car took before Salford track plunge
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirms the person arrested earlier is a man in his 30s.
It says officers are still working at the scene of the crash.
Here's the full statement:
GMP responded to a collision on Regents Road in Salford this morning at around 2am (Friday 7 February 2025), following reports of a road traffic collision involving one car on the railway line near Regents Road roundabout in Salford. Emergency service colleagues attended and one man in his 30s was taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening. A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving. There is still a police scene in place on Regents Road and we continue to work with British Transport Police and Network Rail to conduct initial enquiries. We apologise for any disruption and we thank the public for their patience as we work in the area.
Greater Manchester Police
Have you experienced travel disruption because of the incident?
Share your stories, photos and videos. You can get in touch in the following ways:
Network Rail has shared this image of a road-railer hoisting the BMW from the tracks earlier.
As the name suggests, a road-railer can operate on tracks as well as roads.
The car is set to be taken away by a works train.
This was the scene a little earlier as the car involved in the crash was removed from the railway tracks.
There's still more to do to clear the debris and repair the damaged overhead cables.
This video can not be played
The clear-up begins after a car crashed on to the Manchester-Liverpool railway line
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