Liverpool trains live: Extreme weather causes rail disruption on London route

Passengers using the West Coast Main Line are being warned of disruption after signalling systems stopped working during thunderstorms overnight.

Network Rail said its teams urgently fixing blown fuses in the equipment at Weaver Junction near Runcorn which went offline early this morning. It’s where the West Coast Main Line connects to Liverpool and the North Wales coast. While the exact cause is being investigated, the damage is in line with a suspected lightning strike.

During the repairs, some services are being reduced, delayed or cancelled, with only one train an hour running between Crewe and Liverpool, calling at Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. For that reason, anyone travelling today (Thursday, May 28) is urged to check National Rail Enquiries (www.nationalrail.co.uk).

Ticket acceptance is in place with Northern and Transpennine Express between South Parkway and Lime Street, Avanti West Coast between Crewe and Liverpool and Merseyrail between Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Central

Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said: “We’re sorry to passengers affected by this disruption caused by the stormy conditions overnight. Our specialist signalling and telecoms teams are working as fast as possible to fix the faults and get the railway fully back up and running. “I’d advise anyone travelling today to please check National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator for the latest travel information before they set off on their journey.”