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Thursday 16 Apr 2026

Passengers warned to plan ahead after overhead wire damage at Manchester Piccadilly

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers have been warned to expect further disruption following damage to overhead wires outside Manchester Piccadilly station.

Wiring above the railway on the approach to the station was damaged this morning (Thursday 16 April) at around 11.20am. This has caused significant disruption to trains travelling into and out of Piccadilly station throughout the day.

Network Rail engineering teams have been assessing the damage and planning repairs, which will take place overnight and in the coming days. As a result, no trains will run into or out of Piccadilly station until 7am tomorrow (Friday 17 April).

Following that, a number of services will be disrupted until Sunday morning (19 April).

Overhead line equipment – or OLE – is the name for the overhead wires and other equipment you can see on electrified railway lines. It carries 25,000 volts of electricity to power electric trains.

It’s a critical part of the railway that allows Network Rail to run faster and greener electric services, replacing trains running on diesel.

Chris Wright, North West route director for Network Rail, said: "We are sorry to passengers for the impact of today's disruption, caused by overhead line damage. The issue is complex but our teams are working hard to repair the railway as soon as possible.

"We have worked closely with our train operator partners to keep passengers on the move wherever possible, so please check the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest information on train services in the coming days."

Simon Turner, Head of Operational Readiness at Avanti West Coast, said: "Due to issues with the overhead electric wires, our trains are unable to serve Manchester Piccadilly until the end of service today. We’re working closely with Network Rail and industry partners to help customers get to their destinations via alternative routes. Customers booked to travel on Thursday 16 April also have the option to make their journey on Friday 17 April using their existing ticket.

“We strongly advise customers making journeys on our Manchester route to check before they travel and would like to thank them for their patience. Anyone whose journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more to claim Delay Repay compensation.”

For up-to-date travel information and detail on alternative travel please check www.nationalrail.co.uk.