Power surge blaze sees trains suspended
FIREFIGHTERS were called to tackle a ‘power surge’ blaze near to a train track forcing the suspension of services in the area.
Trains running between Southport and Bootle New Strand were cancelled as a result of the incident at Hall Road, in Crosby. It was reported to emergency services at 12.39pm on Wednesday (May 3) and crews isolated the power to the line so they could put out the flames.
Merseyrail’s Head of Customer Strategy, Greg Suligowski, said that trains were cancelled due to a ‘power surge on the line.’ The disruption lasted for a number of hours.
He said: “A power surge on the Southport line this afternoon caused track circuit and signalling issues between Formby and Southport. The Fire Service attended along with rail engineers and repairs were made to the line.
“Southport services were temporarily suspended between Bootle New Strand and Southport. Our services are now returning to normal, although there may be some delays and cancellations while the normal timetable is restored.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused to our passengers.”
A fire service spokesperson said: “One fire engine attended and on arrival found a fire alongside the track. Crews worked in conjunction with a fire engineer and British Transport Police to isolate the power and extinguish the fire.
“The fire was fully extinguished by 14.16pm and crews have left the incident with the British Transport Police.”
Trains running between Southport and Bootle New Strand remained cancelled between 1.46pm and 3pm.
One man was travelling from Brunswick station into the city centre when he was hit by the disruption, the ECHO reports.
He was forced to get a taxi to avoid being late for work. The man, who did not want to be named, said: “I was shocked to see all the trains cancelled for the next few hours.
“I was wondering how I was going to get to work.”