Watch: Drone footage of burst water main on tracks in East Manchester

Emma Holden - Contributor Add a Comment 3 Min Read
Railway equaipment in flowing floodwater after burst water main // Credit: Network Rail

A burst water main in East caused major flooding to the railway tracks.

A specialist drone team from have been surveying the tracks between and after the pipe burst on Thursday 1st September.

The footage recorded by this team has been released and can be watched below:

As trains between to via Stalybridge and along the line are currently being impacted, passengers are being advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for journeys as some rail replacement services may be inplace.

United Utilities, who own the pipe that burst, are working to find the leak and stop the water from going onto the tracks without affecting the water supply for customers.

Flooding at Fairfield station
Credit: Network Rail

They are being assisted by railway engineers to gain access to the area to fix the pipe and allow trains to run while work is carried out beside the tracks.

For additional travel information go to www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Chris Pye, Network Rail's North West infrastructure director, said: “We are sorry to passengers impacted for a second day by the burst water main and resulting flooding which United Utilities is working hard to contain in Audenshaw.

“I'd please ask people planning on travelling on the Glossop Line and between Manchester and Leeds via Stalybridge to check Enquiries before they set off on their journey today. Trains may be diverted and in some cases passengers may need to get on a rail replacement bus service.”

Phil Sweeney, United Utilities incident manager, said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience this is causing, particularly to rail travellers. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to isolate the main and stabilise the area of the burst so that repairs can get underway and the track can re-open.

“We are working closely with colleagues at Network Rail on a plan that will allow our engineers to work safely next to the track while trains can start to run again. We anticipate we will be able to hand over the railway track to Network Rail overnight tonight. Network Rail will then make a decision on when it is safe to reopen the line.”

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