Rail links restored after damage to power lines in Cheadle Hulme

Normal rail service has resumed in Stockport after power lines above the tracks at Cheadle Hulme sustained damage on Tuesday 21st February.

Damage to 25,000 volt overhead cables which supply power to electric trains travelling in and out of Stockport through Cheadle Hulme, affecting services run by Northern, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry Trains and Transport for Wales. The fault prevented trains running on routes from Stockport towards both Macclesfield and Wilmslow on both 21st and 22nd February due to the scale of repairs needed to reopen the track.

30 metres of the overhead cabling was damaged, requiring engineers from Network Rail to work through the night to restore rail connections into Stockport. Network Rail has apologised to passengers affected at the time of the incident, and sought to reassure rail users that its engineers were working as fast as possible to restore service.

Replacement bus services were put in place to provide connections for passengers between local stations on routes between Stockport and Wilmslow and Stockport and Macclesfield, while long-distance trains to London, Birmingham and South Wales were diverted via Wilmslow and Crewe. The incident also saw other routes in and around Stockport face delays as a result of diverted services.

The disruption due to damage to the railway follows an extended period of poor service for rail users in Stockport, with Avanti, Northern and TransPennine Express all under fire for regular cancellations and cuts to timetables amid staff shortages and industrial action. Further challenges are expected in March 2023, when rail staff across England will go on strike on the 16th and 18th amid disputes over pay and the introduction of driver-only trains.

Services between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire will also see 26 days of major upgrades in the Stalybridge area as part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade to improve inter-city connectivity across the North. Trains between Greater Manchester and Leeds will be diverted via the Calder Valley route, adding significantly to journey times, with rail replacement buses also connecting some stations from the 11th March to 5th April.