Wirral Line - Incidents

Incidents

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 were 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 (32 km/h) in the tunnel, although at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at only 12 miles per hour (19 km/h). None of the 119 passengers were 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 (370 m) through the tunnel to Hamilton Square.

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 (8.0 km/h) 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 Bromborough Rake. The fire was caused by an electrical fault, and the carriage involved was damaged.

The West Kirby branch of the line has several level crossings, and accidents at these, involving pedestrian fatalities, have taken place in July 2007, January 2008, and November 2009.