Passengers evacuated from train stranded between Preston and Wigan as damaged overhead wires cause major disruption on West Coast Main Line

Passengers had to be evacuated from a train after power problems left it stranded between Preston and Wigan.
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All trains running on the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Wigan were cancelled at around 3.30pm on Thursday (June 16).

Network Rail said this was due to “overhead line damage at Coppull”.

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“We have officers on scene assisting with the evacuation of passengers from a stranded train,” a spokesman for British Transport Police said.

In an update posted at 6.30pm, officers confirmed all passengers had been transferred to another train.

Other journeys were cancelled, delayed by over an hour or replaced by buses due to the damaged overhead wires.

Avanti West Coast, Northern and TransPennine Express routes were all affected by the disruption.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are out on site responding to the incident.

“So sorry for the inconvenience caused.”

Major disruption was expected to last until the end of the day.