One Manchester bridge is being replaced, while another has shattered under a freight train. Railway neighbours reported the sound of a building collapsing and fixtures falling from the walls of their homes. The cause was a heavy aggregates train which derailed on a bridge over a residential street in a leafy suburb of Audenshaw, in Greater Manchester.
Work continues on the replacement of a railway overbridge at Castleton, over the north section of the major M62 motorway. Meanwhile, almost precisely due south, and just outside Manchester’s ring of motorways, another bridge has collapsed under the weight of a goods train carrying a bulk cargo of aggregates. The accident happened late in the morning on Friday, 6 September, and is proving to be a major headache for freight operations. One person was reported to have received minor injuries.
Regular short journey working
Audenshaw is named for a pagan god and is famed for its reservoirs and leafy surroundings. The residential enclave hit the headlines on Friday as it became the scene of a major incident. An aggregates train, traversing the freight-only loop that connects Stockport on the West Coast Main Line spur into Manchester Piccadilly with the Transpennine route into Manchester Victoria, derailed at Sidmouth Street. The usually quiet avenue runs under the line and, in recent times, has been bisected to deter through road traffic.
The 0850 from Peak Forest Cemex quarry complex in the Derbyshire hills was making the relatively short 32-mile (52km) journey to the company’s aggregates terminal in Hope Street, Salford. The service, designated 6J46, was loaded with 2400 tonnes of stone. It was hauled by two GB Railfreight (GBRf) Class 66 diesels. The late running does not appear to have been a factor in the derailment. The train was, according to witnesses, travelling at low speed at the time, which may have mitigated the severity of the accident. The incident happened ahead of the planned weekend works on another structure in Greater Manchester – the Castleton Bridge, which carries freight trains, including biomass for the huge Drax power station complex.
Freight to be rerouted, passenger services unaffected
Greater Manchester Police, who attended the incident, issued a short statement shortly after the derailment. “Officers are assisting with the following reports of a freight train derailing on Sidmouth Street, Audenshaw. One person has received minor injuries. Officers are on scene to support emergency service colleagues.” The local daily newspaper, the Manchester Evening News, reported on the incident.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch, the official watchdog, has become involved, as is routine. “We’ve deployed a team of Inspectors to gather evidence following a freight train derailment on the Stockport to Stalybridge line in Greater Manchester,” said their initial response via social media. However, that initial tweet wrongly identifies the line in question. The freight-only loop, where the accident occurred, diverges from the Stockport to Stalybridge line a few hundred metres south of the incident. It may, however, have been possible that the train had not cleared Denton Junction, the point of divergence. Passenger operator Northern does not have any service disruptions, suggesting that the line is clear. Infrastructure agency Network Rail has yet to issue an overview. Freight services will require rerouting until the line at Sidmouth Street is reinstated.