Wirral Line
Encyclopedia
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail
that are centred around Merseyside
, England, the other being the Northern Line
. A third line of the Merseyrail network, the City Line
, is not operated by the Merseyrail franchise, although also receives funding from Merseytravel
, the passenger transport executive
for Merseyside.
The Wirral Line connects Liverpool
to the Wirral Peninsula
via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with branches to New Brighton
, West Kirby
, Chester
and Ellesmere Port
. Beneath Liverpool, the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single-track tunnel called the Loop, built during the early 1970s.
The line was developed through the amalgamation of several historic railways and has carried its present name since the opening of Merseyrail by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978 during the British Rail
period. It is fully electrified with a DC
third rail
, existing in its current form since 29 May 1994 with the outset of electric services to giving a total of 34 stations served by the line. Connections are available with mainline services at and , and with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at and .
The Loop tunnel in central Liverpool was opened in 1977. From a new platform at James Street station the tunnel carries a single track at deep level in a clockwise direction to , Lime Street
and respectively. From Liverpool Central the tunnel returns to James Street, rejoining the Mersey Railway tunnel just before the station. The original Mersey Railway
platforms at Central are now used by the Northern Line
. Conway Park station
opened on the West Kirby/New Brighton branch in 1998.
which opened in 1869. Originally, the Mersey Railway ran from James Street station in Liverpool to in Birkenhead via and stations.
James Street and Hamilton Square had their platforms completely underground, while
Green Lane and Birkenhead Central station were built in below-ground-level cuttings.
A branch in the tunnel to the southwest of Hamilton Square station extended the line to Birkenhead Park station
in 1888. The line was extended from Green Lane to in 1891. In 1892 a further extension took place in Liverpool from James Street to Liverpool Central.
. The majority of the track has a loading gauge
of W6 and the line has a Route Availability (RA)
of RA 8 except for the New Brighton branch which is RA 6. This makes the whole line fairly restrictive and not very attractive for freight traffic.
using the 750 V DC third rail
system. The Mersey Railway was electrified in 1903, making it the first railway in the world to be converted entirely to electrification. The former Wirral Railway, by then part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
, was electrified in 1938. The opening of the Loop in 1977 led to three electrified terminals on the Wirral: New Brighton, West Kirby and Rock Ferry. Electrification south from Rock Ferry to Hooton followed in 1985 and was extended to Chester and Ellesmere Port in 1993 and 1994 respectively.
s were eventually designated as Class 503
. Further similar units were built in 1956 to replace the former Mersey Railway carriages. The entire Class 503 stock was replaced in 1983 with Class 508
units originally built in the late 1970s for services from . A few years earlier (1978–1980), almost identical Class 507
units had been introduced on the Northern Line
to replace Class 502
stock. Following the privatisation of British Rail
in 1993, Class 507 and 508 units have been used interchangeably on both the Wirral and Northern Lines and in 2003–2004 the 59-strong Class 507/508 fleet was refurbished by Alstom
's Eastleigh Works
at a cost of £32 million.
Interchange with the Northern Line is available at Liverpool Central and Moorfields, and with the City Line
at Liverpool Lime Street. Arriva Trains Wales
operate services from Bidston
along the Borderlands Line
to . Various proposals over the years have suggested the electrification of part or all of this route and incorporating it into the Wirral Line, as well as also electrifying beyond Ellesmere Port through to .
Connections are available with other National Rail
services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. There is also a very limited connecting service from Ellesmere Port to Helsby and .
saw frequent freight traffic until 1996 with branches to several wharves as well as Eastham Oil Terminal
. In 2005 a single track line to Manisty Wharf in Ellesmere Port was reopened for a regular coal flow to Fiddlers Ferry power station
. This freight route follows the Wirral Line for a very short distance to the west of Ellesmere Port station before forking off northwards to reach the wharf. Freightliner Heavy Haul currently operates the service, with two trains per day.
Freightliner Heavy Haul also has a contract with Quinn Glass
to deliver sand from Sibelco
's Middleton Towers Quarry in Middleton, Norfolk
to their 205 acre (0.8296063 km²; 0.320312783211966 sq mi) site at Elton
which outputs 1.2 billion glass containers per year for the food and beverage industry. A trial service ran on 7 April 2011 and a twice-weekly service every Wednesday and Friday commenced on 13 April 2011. At present the sand is transported by road the final five miles to the Quinn Glass plant from a former Cawoods siding in Ellesmere Port beside the Manchester Ship Canal
, south of Manisty Wharf, but from November 2011 trains will begin using a dedicated terminal at the plant itself.
A number of incidents have occurred on the Wirral Line.
Unit 508118, while in storage in the siding at Birkenhead North, was subject to an arson attack in 2001. The unit was scrapped.
On 19 May 2004, Unit 507009 derailed at points as it approached Birkenhead North station. The leading bogie
of four wheels came off the track, but the train remained upright. None of the 20 or so passengers on the train was injured. The cause was a worn switch rail and an imbalance in wheel loads across the leading carriage of the train.
At 17:41 on 26 October 2005 the rear bogie of unit 508124 derailed in the Loop tunnel between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central. Due to concerns by Network Rail as to the condition of the track, there had long been a temporary speed restriction of 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s) in the tunnel, although at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at only 12 miles per hour (5.4 m/s). None of the 119 passengers was injured; the guard attended hospital overnight with a neck injury, but was not detained. In August 2006 a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB)
cited poor track maintenance, inadequacy of the rail fastening system
, and the track infrastructure and trains not being designed as a complete system, as causes of the derailment. Liverpool-bound services terminated at James Street instead of going around the Loop while investigation and track renewal work took place.
On 19 April 2006 a small fire in the Mersey Railway Tunnel caused electrics to short circuit. The 06:30 service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool Central was in the tunnel at the time of the incident. All 120 passengers were escorted 400 yards through the tunnel to .
At 11:57 on 11 January 2007, unit 507019 hit the buffers at West Kirby as it was arriving from Liverpool Central. There were no injuries to the 20–30 passengers, but the driver and guard were treated for shock and minor rib injuries respectively. The train was travelling at around 5 miles per hour (2.2 m/s) at the time of impact when it demolished the buffers and caused other minor damage. The unit was towed to Crewe Works
and repaired.
On 30 October 2007 a fire broke out on a Liverpool Central to Chester service. The train was evacuated at . The fire was caused by an electrical fault, and the carriage involved was damaged.
Accidents at level crossings on the line, involving pedestrian fatalities, took place in
July 2007, January 2008, and November 2009.
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
that are centred around Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England, the other being the Northern Line
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...
. A third line of the Merseyrail network, the City Line
City Line (Merseyrail)
The City Line is the name given to local rail routes out of Liverpool Lime Street station, Liverpool, Merseyside. It appears on maps of the Merseyrail network as red, and covers the Liverpool-Wigan Line as well as the two routes of the Liverpool-Manchester Line...
, is not operated by the Merseyrail franchise, although also receives funding from Merseytravel
Merseytravel
Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...
, the passenger transport executive
Passenger Transport Executive
In the United Kingdom, passenger transport executives are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas...
for Merseyside.
The Wirral Line connects Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with branches to New Brighton
New Brighton, Merseyside
New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...
, West Kirby
West Kirby
West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
. Beneath Liverpool, the line follows a clockwise circular route in a single-track tunnel called the Loop, built during the early 1970s.
The line was developed through the amalgamation of several historic railways and has carried its present name since the opening of Merseyrail by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 25 October 1978 during the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
period. It is fully electrified with a DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
, existing in its current form since 29 May 1994 with the outset of electric services to giving a total of 34 stations served by the line. Connections are available with mainline services at and , and with the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at and .
History
The Wirral line is made up of three separate historic railways:- Mersey RailwayMersey RailwayThe Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Opened in 1886, it was the second oldest urban underground railway network in the world. The railway contained the first tunnel built under the River Mersey. It was constructed by...
- Wirral RailwayWirral RailwayThe Wirral Railway was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway , with powers to build lines from Birkenhead to New Brighton, and to Parkgate on the western side of the Wirral Peninsula; the latter line was not built. Between 1872 and 1882 the HR was renamed twice, and extensions of the line...
- Chester and Birkenhead RailwayChester and Birkenhead RailwayThe Chester and Birkenhead Railway ran from Birkenhead to Chester. It opened on 23 September 1838. On the 22 July 1847 it merged with the Birkenhead, Lancaster and Cheshire Junction Railway to become the Birkenhead Railway.-Currently Working:...
The Loop tunnel in central Liverpool was opened in 1977. From a new platform at James Street station the tunnel carries a single track at deep level in a clockwise direction to , Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
and respectively. From Liverpool Central the tunnel returns to James Street, rejoining the Mersey Railway tunnel just before the station. The original Mersey Railway
Mersey Railway
The Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Opened in 1886, it was the second oldest urban underground railway network in the world. The railway contained the first tunnel built under the River Mersey. It was constructed by...
platforms at Central are now used by the Northern Line
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...
. Conway Park station
Conway Park railway station
Conway Park railway station is situated in the town centre of Birkenhead, Wirral, England. It lies on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network.- Description :...
opened on the West Kirby/New Brighton branch in 1998.
Mersey Railway
Opening in 1886, the Mersey Railway was Britain's second oldest underground railway system after the Thames TunnelThames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
which opened in 1869. Originally, the Mersey Railway ran from James Street station in Liverpool to in Birkenhead via and stations.
James Street and Hamilton Square had their platforms completely underground, while
Green Lane and Birkenhead Central station were built in below-ground-level cuttings.
A branch in the tunnel to the southwest of Hamilton Square station extended the line to Birkenhead Park station
Birkenhead Park railway station
Birkenhead Park railway station is situated in Birkenhead, Wirral, England. It lies on the Wirral Line 5 km west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network.- History :...
in 1888. The line was extended from Green Lane to in 1891. In 1892 a further extension took place in Liverpool from James Street to Liverpool Central.
Wirral Railway
The Wirral Railway ran from Birkenhead Park to . A branch from took the line to .Chester and Birkenhead Railway
The section of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway used on the Wirral Line ran from Rock Ferry to . A branch from to is also now incorporated into the Wirral Line.Infrastructure
Track
The Wirral Line is built to standard gaugeStandard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. The majority of the track has a loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
of W6 and the line has a Route Availability (RA)
Route availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
of RA 8 except for the New Brighton branch which is RA 6. This makes the whole line fairly restrictive and not very attractive for freight traffic.
Electrification
The Wirral Line is electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
using the 750 V DC third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
system. The Mersey Railway was electrified in 1903, making it the first railway in the world to be converted entirely to electrification. The former Wirral Railway, by then part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, was electrified in 1938. The opening of the Loop in 1977 led to three electrified terminals on the Wirral: New Brighton, West Kirby and Rock Ferry. Electrification south from Rock Ferry to Hooton followed in 1985 and was extended to Chester and Ellesmere Port in 1993 and 1994 respectively.
Rolling stock
In 1938 following the electrification of the former Wirral Railway, the LMS introduced new trains with air-operated sliding doors. These electric multiple unitElectric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s were eventually designated as Class 503
British Rail Class 503
British Rail Class 503 trains were 70 mph electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches — in 1938 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway with a further batch in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways...
. Further similar units were built in 1956 to replace the former Mersey Railway carriages. The entire Class 503 stock was replaced in 1983 with Class 508
British Rail Class 508
The British Rail Class 508 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variety of BR's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, eventually encompassing 755 vehicles and five classes...
units originally built in the late 1970s for services from . A few years earlier (1978–1980), almost identical Class 507
British Rail Class 507
British Rail Class 507 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in two batches from 1978 to 1980. The first thirty sets were constructed from September 1978 to mid-1979 and a further three were added during 1980...
units had been introduced on the Northern Line
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...
to replace Class 502
British Rail Class 502
The British Rail Class 502 was a type of electric multiple unit originally built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway at their Derby Works...
stock. Following the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
in 1993, Class 507 and 508 units have been used interchangeably on both the Wirral and Northern Lines and in 2003–2004 the 59-strong Class 507/508 fleet was refurbished by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
's Eastleigh Works
Eastleigh Works
Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England.-History under the LSWR:...
at a cost of £32 million.
Passenger
During Monday to Saturday, trains run every 15 minutes from Liverpool to each of New Brighton, West Kirby and Chester. Hooton is the point of interchange between trains to Ellesmere Port and trains to Chester, and gets six trains per hour from Liverpool, four of which continue to Chester (only two call at Capenhurst) and two calling at stations to Ellesmere Port.Interchange with the Northern Line is available at Liverpool Central and Moorfields, and with the City Line
City Line (Merseyrail)
The City Line is the name given to local rail routes out of Liverpool Lime Street station, Liverpool, Merseyside. It appears on maps of the Merseyrail network as red, and covers the Liverpool-Wigan Line as well as the two routes of the Liverpool-Manchester Line...
at Liverpool Lime Street. Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
operate services from Bidston
Bidston railway station
Bidston railway station is a railway station in Bidston, Birkenhead, on the Wirral, England. It is situated at the junction of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line with the Borderlands Line from Wrexham Central .-History:The station was originally built by the Hoylake Railway in 1866 as an...
along the Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
to . Various proposals over the years have suggested the electrification of part or all of this route and incorporating it into the Wirral Line, as well as also electrifying beyond Ellesmere Port through to .
Connections are available with other National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
services at Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. There is also a very limited connecting service from Ellesmere Port to Helsby and .
Freight
Parts of the Wirral Line in Ellesmere PortEllesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
saw frequent freight traffic until 1996 with branches to several wharves as well as Eastham Oil Terminal
Eastham Oil Terminal
Eastham Oil Terminal is situated close to the small town of Eastham on the Wirral Peninsula, beside the Manchester Ship Canal. It was built during the 1950s close to the Queen Elizabeth II Dock and stores oil refined at Stanlow Refinery, to which it is connected by pipeline. The site is currently...
. In 2005 a single track line to Manisty Wharf in Ellesmere Port was reopened for a regular coal flow to Fiddlers Ferry power station
Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
Fiddlers Ferry Power Station is a coal fired power station located in Cheshire in North West England, which is capable of co-firing biomass. It is situated on the north bank of the River Mersey between the towns of Widnes and Warrington. Opened in 1971, the station has a generating capacity of...
. This freight route follows the Wirral Line for a very short distance to the west of Ellesmere Port station before forking off northwards to reach the wharf. Freightliner Heavy Haul currently operates the service, with two trains per day.
Freightliner Heavy Haul also has a contract with Quinn Glass
Quinn Group
The QUINN group is a business group headquartered in Derrylin, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The privately owned group has ventured into cement and concrete products, container glass, general insurance, radiators, plastics, hotels, and real estate...
to deliver sand from Sibelco
Sibelco
Sibelco has over 245 production units worldwide and is the disputed market leader in the extraction, production and distribution of the main industrial minerals: quartz, cristobalite, nepheline syenite, plastic clay and olivine...
's Middleton Towers Quarry in Middleton, Norfolk
Middleton, Norfolk
Middleton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,516 in 621 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
to their 205 acre (0.8296063 km²; 0.320312783211966 sq mi) site at Elton
Elton, Cheshire
Elton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated approximately to the northeast of Chester, between Helsby and Ellesmere Port, near to the River Mersey. Its proximity to the River Mersey and...
which outputs 1.2 billion glass containers per year for the food and beverage industry. A trial service ran on 7 April 2011 and a twice-weekly service every Wednesday and Friday commenced on 13 April 2011. At present the sand is transported by road the final five miles to the Quinn Glass plant from a former Cawoods siding in Ellesmere Port beside the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, south of Manisty Wharf, but from November 2011 trains will begin using a dedicated terminal at the plant itself.
Incidents
Unit 508118, while in storage in the siding at Birkenhead North, was subject to an arson attack in 2001. The unit was scrapped.
On 19 May 2004, Unit 507009 derailed at points as it approached Birkenhead North station. The leading bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
of four wheels came off the track, but the train remained upright. None of the 20 or so passengers on the train was injured. The cause was a worn switch rail and an imbalance in wheel loads across the leading carriage of the train.
At 17:41 on 26 October 2005 the rear bogie of unit 508124 derailed in the Loop tunnel between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central. Due to concerns by Network Rail as to the condition of the track, there had long been a temporary speed restriction of 20 miles per hour (8.9 m/s) in the tunnel, although at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at only 12 miles per hour (5.4 m/s). None of the 119 passengers was injured; the guard attended hospital overnight with a neck injury, but was not detained. In August 2006 a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB)
Rail Accident Investigation Branch
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is a government agency that became operational on 17 October 2005. Its primary role is the investigation of rail accidents in the United Kingdom and the Channel Tunnel in order to find a cause, not to lay blame. The agency has operational centres in The...
cited poor track maintenance, inadequacy of the rail fastening system
Rail fastening system
-History and overview:The earliest wooden rails were fixed to wooden sleepers by pegs through holes in the rail, or by nails. By the 17th century cast iron rails had come into use, and also had holes in the rail itself to allow them to be fixed to a support...
, and the track infrastructure and trains not being designed as a complete system, as causes of the derailment. Liverpool-bound services terminated at James Street instead of going around the Loop while investigation and track renewal work took place.
On 19 April 2006 a small fire in the Mersey Railway Tunnel caused electrics to short circuit. The 06:30 service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool Central was in the tunnel at the time of the incident. All 120 passengers were escorted 400 yards through the tunnel to .
At 11:57 on 11 January 2007, unit 507019 hit the buffers at West Kirby as it was arriving from Liverpool Central. There were no injuries to the 20–30 passengers, but the driver and guard were treated for shock and minor rib injuries respectively. The train was travelling at around 5 miles per hour (2.2 m/s) at the time of impact when it demolished the buffers and caused other minor damage. The unit was towed to Crewe Works
Crewe Works
Crewe railway works is a British railway engineering facility built in 1840 by the Grand Junction Railway. It is located in the town of Crewe, in the county of Cheshire....
and repaired.
On 30 October 2007 a fire broke out on a Liverpool Central to Chester service. The train was evacuated at . The fire was caused by an electrical fault, and the carriage involved was damaged.
Accidents at level crossings on the line, involving pedestrian fatalities, took place in
July 2007, January 2008, and November 2009.