Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Johanna Chisholm

  1. Football fans urged to plan ahead

    Fans travelling to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium for the FA Cup clash with Leicester have been warned to check ahead before they travel.

    The match kicks off at 20:00 GMT but rail services between Liverpool and Manchester are likely to face disruption until 22:00, according to the latest update.

    Network Rail has apologised to passengers affected and urged those planning to travel between the two cities to keep checking for the latest information.

  2. Cable repairs likely to take eight hours

    Network Rail says fixing the overhead cables damaged in the crash will take about eight hours, with services not expected to restart until about 22:00 GMT.

    The lines that power trains were damaged after the crash on the Chat Moss line, impacting Transport for Wales, TransPennine Express and Northern Rail train service, it adds.

    There has been significant damage to the overhead lines which will take at least eight hours to repair once the site has been cleared. We anticipate the earliest possible time the lines can reopen is 10 o’clock on Friday night.

    Network Rail, spokesperson

  3. Car removed from the tracks

    The wrecked car has now been removed from the railway tracks.

    Our colleague Rowan Bridge is at the scene, watching the recovery efforts.

    This photograph captures the extent of the damage to the concrete wall at the side of the road.

    It looks to be a considerable drop from the bridge down on to the railway tracks below.

    Also visible are the damaged overhead power cables.

    Workers in reflective clothing at the scene of the crash on the railway tracksRowan Bridge/BBC

  4. What we know about the incident

    For those just joining us, here's a recap of what we know so far:

    • A car crashed on to the tracks in Salford in the early hours of Friday morning, causing what Network Rail has described as "significant damage" to the track and overhead cables
    • Police say the driver has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and taken to hospital with injuries that are "serious but not life-threatening"
    • The car crashed on to the Chat Moss line in Salford, which connects Manchester and Liverpool, and all lines are closed through Eccles as a result
    • Passengers are told to expect major disruption until the end of the day, with Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales services among those affected
    • Rail replacement buses are running, and some tickets are being accepted on other routes, including services to Manchester via Warrington Central, which is not affected
    • Engineers are at the scene, working to clear the debris and carry out repairs

  5. Work continues at crash site

    We can bring you more pictures from the scene now, showing the wrecked car still on the tracks after the crash overnight.

    A wrecked car lies upside down across two train tracks. The bridge overhead is missing a panel where the car appears to have smashed through and plunged down. Emergency workers assess the scenePA Media
    Emergency workers assess the scene as the wrecked car lies upside down across two tracksPA Media
    A close-up of the car which is badly damaged, especially at what appears to be the frontPA Media

  6. Which rail services are affected?

    As of 11:15 GMT, National Rail lists the following routes as still being affected by the line closure in Salford:

    • Northern services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport, between Wigan North Western and Manchester Victoria, also between Chester and Leeds / Manchester Victoria
    • TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Hull / Manchester Victoria / Newcastle, also between Lancaster and Manchester Airport
    • Transport for Wales services between Chester / Llandudno and Manchester Airport / Manchester Oxford Road, also between Holyhead and Manchester Airport

  7. Trains are 'cancelled, revised or diverted'

    More from National Rail now.

    The UK's rail network has shared its latest update - and it's not good news for many passengers.

    It says: "Whilst [emergency services] complete their work, all lines are closed through Eccles and no trains will run through this station.

    "As a result, trains between Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western and Manchester Oxford Road / Manchester Victoria will be cancelled, revised or diverted.

    "Major disruption is expected until the end of the day."

  8. Image shows extent of crash damage

    Northern Trains has shared an image showing the extent of the damage to the car which crashed on to the tracks.

    It says the line is expected to be closed for most of the day while Network Rail clears the vehicle and debris as well as repair damaged wires and tracks.

    A burnt out car lies upside down across railways lines, with debris all aroundNorthern Trains

    The burnt-out car is straddling both lines, with work under way to remove it and repair the damage caused

  9. Route was 'world's first intercity railway line'

    The car plummeted on to the Chat Moss line in Salford, which links Manchester and Liverpool.

    When it opened in 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway line was, according to the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, "the world's first steam-powered, inter-urban railway designed to transport both passengers and goods".

    The museum said: "Goods traffic was at an all-time high between Liverpool and Manchester in the 1820s. Liverpool was the country's main port for raw cotton, and Manchester's mills devoured as much of it as they could, sending heaps of finished textiles back to Liverpool and out across the world."

  10. Car to be taken away by rail

    Phil Cunliffe
    BBC North West Tonight

    A road-railer - which, as its name suggests, can operate on tracks as well as roads - is on its way to the site to hoist the BMW off the tracks. We think this will be taken away by a works train.

    There is considerable damage to overhead power cables on one side of the cutting.

    The car which has overturned is straddling both tracks of the main line between Liverpool and Manchester.

  11. 'There were bits of car everywhere'

    A resident says he saw glass strewn around the site of the crash while out walking his dog this morning.

    "There were bits of car everywhere and you couldn't walk," says the man, who does not wish to be named.

    He says he had to find an alternative route as he was worried about the glass causing injuries to his dog.

  12. Major disruption to last all day - National Rail

    According to National Rail, the major disruption to services is expected to continue all day.

    All lines are closed through Eccles, with no trains running through the station.

    A screengrab of the disruption warning message from the National Rail websiteNational Rail

  13. Photos show damage to concrete barrier

    Images from Network Rail, taken in the early hours, show engineers assessing the damage. A burnt-out car is lying upside down across both tracks.

    A section of the concrete barrier on the railway bridge is missing where the car crashed through.

    A burnt out car lies upside down on a railway track in this image captured from the railway line. People in hi vis outfits can be seen approaching it, under the railway bridge.Network Rail

    Engineers have been at the scene of the crash since the early hours

    The burnt out car can be seen lying on the railway lines close to the bridge.Network Rail

    The burnt out car as seen from the railway line

  14. 'There is debris everywhere'

    Michelle Adamson
    BBC Radio Manchester reporter

    I've seen a team putting climbing gear on and abseiling from the bridge which the car crashed through this morning. They have been inspecting for damage to its structural integrity.

    Engineers tell me they are waiting for a vehicle to come on to the tracks. There is debris including glass and wires everywhere.

    It seems the car involved in the crash passed between two trees. I don't know how as the gap is literally the width of the car.

    The concrete from the barrier it went through is about four inches thick and a slab of that concrete has fallen on to the track below.

  15. Watch: Railway staff assess crash site

    This is the scene of the crash this morning, with the car lying across the railway tracks.

    A police cordon is in place where the vehicle is said to have driven through a barrier.

    Video shows the scene in Salford where a car crashed on to the railway tracks

  16. 'Looks like I'll be heading home'

    Racing journalist Neil Watson is among those whose Friday morning isn't going to plan as the main railway line between Manchester and Liverpool is closed for the foreseeable...

    A tweet posted by Neil Watson (@Watty Racing) at 08:35 GMT from Newton-le-Willows, England. It reads: "Looks like I'll be heading home, train cancellations due to a crash in Salford means no trains anywhere."X

  18. What do we know about the incident?

    An upside down, crushed car lies on a railway line, with debris all around it.
    • The main railway line between Liverpool and Manchester, the Chat Moss line, is closed
    • A car crashed on to the tracks in Salford in the early hours of Friday morning
    • Network Rail says both the track and overhead cables suffered "significant damage"
    • Greater Manchester Police say the car's driver has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving
    • The driver was taken to hospital with injuries understood to be "serious but not life-threatening"
    • The line is expected to remain closed for most of the day
    • The Chat Moss line connects Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly

  19. Arrested driver taken to hospital - police

    Greater Manchester Police say the car's driver has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.

    Meanwhile, British Transport Police have confirmed the driver has been taken to hospital but is not thought to be badly injured.

    "Enquiries into the incident are ongoing," police say.

  20. 'Serious repairs needed'

    Michelle Adamson from BBC Radio Manchester is at the scene and says the car is "straddled across both tracks".

    She says the overhead line appears to have "buckled over" and looks to need "some serious repairs".

    She is being told that it will take a considerable part of the day to carry out repairs on this main line between Liverpool and Manchester.