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Friday 2 Sep 2022

Drone footage released of railway tracks flooded by burst water main

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Footage has been released showing the extent of flooding to railway tracks in east Manchester caused by a burst water main.

Specialist drone teams from Network Rail have been surveying the tracks between Gorton and Guide Bridge after a United Utilities pipe burst in the early hours of Thursday 1 September.

Trains running between Manchester Piccadilly to Leeds via Stalybridge and on the Glossop line are being impacted for a second day today (Friday 2 September).

Passengers are being advised to:

• Check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel
• Allow extra time for their journey
• Be aware their journey may involve a rail replacement bus service

Disruption to some TransPennine Express services continues, and anyone travelling in or out of Manchester from Yorkshire is strongly advised to check before they travel.

Meanwhile, United Utilities is working hard to isolate the leak to stop water flowing onto railway lines, while at the same time maintaining the water supply for its customers.

Railway engineers are assisting the water company with getting access to make its repairs to the pipe.

This is being carefully planned so it can happen while allowing trains to run again at the same time the repair work takes place beside the tracks.

Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West infrastructure director, said: “We are sorry to passengers impacted for a second day by the burst water main and resulting flooding which United Utilities is working hard to contain in Audenshaw.

“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. Trains may be diverted and in some cases passengers may need to get on a rail replacement bus service.”

Phil Sweeney, United Utilities incident manager, said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience this is causing, particularly to rail travellers. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to isolate the main and stabilise the area of the burst so that repairs can get underway and the track can re-open.

“We are working closely with colleagues at Network Rail on a plan that will allow our engineers to work safely next to the track while trains can start to run again. We anticipate we will be able to hand over the railway track to Network Rail overnight tonight. Network Rail will then make a decision on when it is safe to reopen the line.”

For the latest updates on this ongoing disruption people can follow the @NetworkRailMAN and @NationalRailEnq Twitter feeds.

Alternatively National Rail Enquiries at www.nationalrail.co.uk has more travel information.