Delays after derailment near Wigan station

A track maintenance car has derailed in a town, causing disruption expected to last for several hours.

The machine has blocked lines between Wigan North Western and St Helens Central since the incident at 11.45am BST.

National Rail said trains would be cancelled, delayed by around 30 minutes or revised until around 6pm BST.

Northern and TransPennine Express services were both affected by the derailment.

Bus services

Network Rail said the car derailed “at low speed” and no one was injured.

A spokesman said: “We are working closely with the operator and others to understand more about what happened.”

Affected routes include:

• Northern route between Blackpool North and Wigan North Western and Liverpool Lime Street

• Northern route between Barrow-in-Furness, Windermere and Manchester Airport,

• TransPennine Express route between Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street

Bus replacement services have been put in place for some Wigan North Western services.

National Rail has posted details of alternative journeys on its website.

Passengers faced two weeks of delays after a train derailed near Grange-over-Sands in March.

A Northern train traveling to Barrow in Cumbria has derailed, leading to the evacuation of four passengers and four staff from the train.

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