Driver arrested after car crashes onto Manchester train tracks closing railway line

A number of train services have been affected by the car crash

A major railway line is closed and a man has been arrested after a car crashed onto train tracks in Greater Manchester.

Images from the scene show the vehicle came to a rest upside down, surrounded by debris on the tracks in Salford on Friday morning.

The incident has caused major disruption for train services between Manchester and Liverpool, which is expected to continue for most of the day.

A man in his thirties was taken to hospital (MEN Media)

Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after officers responded to a collision on Regents Road at 2am. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

They added: “Emergency service colleagues attended and one man in his thirties was taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.

The car was removed from the tracks by emergency workers (Network Rail/PA Wire)

“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.”

The car caused damage to the railway line as it hit the tracks (GMP/PA Wire)

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “In the early hours of this morning, a car crashed onto the railway near Regents Road Roundabout in Salford causing significant damage to the railway and overhead electric cables that provide power to trains.

“As a result of this incident, no trains are able to run on the Chat Moss line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, impacting Transport for Wales, TransPennine Express and Northern train services.

Emergency engineers set to work on removing the car and its debris from the tracks (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

“Our engineers are on-site working with the British Transport Police to remove the vehicle from the tracks and are assessing the situation in order to repair the damaged cables as quickly as possible, however the line is expected to be closed for the majority of the day.

“We’re really sorry to any passengers affected by this incident and urge anyone planning to travel by train between Liverpool and Manchester to plan ahead and check with their train operator for the latest travel information.”