Two people have died on the rail lines in Greater Manchester today with all lines shut on a major route.
Police were called to the first incident near Hyde Central station at 6.15am this morning. Tragically, they found a person who had passed away on the lines.
The line was fully blocked to Manchester Piccadilly this morning due to the incident, between Romiley in Stockport and Guide Bridge station in Tameside, before re-opening at 10am.
In a separate incident, all lines are now shut between Stockport and Sheffield after emergency services were called to a casualty on the tracks. The incident happened just before 11am in the Hazel Grove area.
Tragically, British Transport Police confirmed they had also died.
"A person has been hit by a train between Stockport and Buxton / Sheffield," National Rail have said. "To allow the emergency services to safely carry out their work, all lines running between these stations are currently closed.
"Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised."
Meanwhile, a 'section of defective track' between Stockport and Manchester has led to major delays expected to last throughout Thursday, with some services suspended with 'emergency restrictions' imposed.
Travel service Inrix says: "Service suspended on Transport for Wales between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, and between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe due to faulty rail."
Others services are also being delayed by up to 15 minutes due to a speed restriction.
National Rail says: "A section of defective track has been reported between Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly. To allow trains to travel over the affected area, an emergency speed restriction has been imposed.
"As a result of this, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 15 minutes. This is expected until the end of the day."
This is a breaking news story and we will be bringing you updates as we get them in the live blog below
Key Events
A recap of what we know...
Two people have died on the rail lines in Greater Manchester today
Police were called to the first incident near Hyde Central station at 6.15am this morning where they found a person who had passed away on the lines
In a separate incident, emergency services were called to a casualty on the tracks between Stockport and Sheffield. The incident happened just before 11am in the Hazel Grove area
Multiple lines were closed causing disruption across Greater Manchester and beyond
Major delays expected to last throughout Thursday
Disruption between Buxton and Stockport now cleared
Services are running normally between Buxton and Stockport.
Disruption caused by the emergency services dealing with an incident between Buxton and Stockport has now ended. Services are no longer affected by this problem#NorthernUpdates
— NORTHERN (@northernassist) June 5, 2025
Line reopens following death near Hazel Grove, but disruption continues
The line has now re-opened following the death of a person on the tracks near Hazel Grove this morning.
National Rail say:
Lines have now reopened following the earlier incident where a person was hit by a train between Stockport and Buxton / Sheffield.
Until service recovers, trains running between these stations may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 25 minutes or revised.
This is expected until 14:00.
Track issue not expected to be fixed until tomorrow
The track issue that is leading to delays in and out of Piccadilly station won't be fixed until tomorrow morning it has been confirmed.
The section of 'defective track' between Piccadilly and Ardwick means less services are running and speed restrictions have been imposed, leading to delays.
Network Rail has now issued a statement.
A spokesperson says
We are sorry to our passengers who have been affected by the disruption in Manchester this morning. Engineers on site discovered an issue with part of the track. While we plan in a repair overnight, a speed restriction is in place and there has been an alteration to some services. Please check national rail enquiries for specific information about your journey."
Second person dies on railway line
British Transport Police (BTP) have confirmed a second person has died on the railway line in Greater Manchester this morning.
It happened near Hazel Grove station, in Stockport, at around 10:30am.
A BTP statement reads:
Officers were called at around 10.30am today (5 June) to reports of a casualty on the tracks on the line near Hazel Grove railway station.
Officers and paramedics attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner."
Advice for passengers
Ticket restrictions have been lifted, and the following advice has been issued to customers whose services may be affected by the Stockport - Sheffield line closure:
East Midlands Railway passengers
You may use your ticket on the following services at no extra cost:
Northern between Liverpool and Sheffield, and also between Sheffield and Nottingham
TransPennine Express between Liverpool and Sheffield
Northern passengers
You may use your ticket on the following services at no extra cost:
Avanti West Coast between Stockport and Crewe / Stoke-on-Trent
East Midlands Railway via any reasonable route
Second casualty on the tracks
In a seperate incident to this morning's tragedy in Hyde, National Rail say emergency services are currently responding as a 'person has been hit by a train' on the line between Stockport and Buxton/Sheffield.
According to the traffic service Inrix, it has happened near Hazel Grove in Stockport.
National Rail say
To allow the emergency services to safely carry out their work, all lines running between these stations are currently closed.
Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.
This is expected until 14:00."
Full police statement
British Transport Police (BTP) said in a statement
Officers were called to a report of a casualty on the tracks at 6.16am today (5 June) on the line near Hyde Central railway station.
Officers and paramedics attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.
Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances leading up to their death.
Person dies on line in Tameside
A person has died on the railway line in Tameside this morning, police have just confirmed.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police (BTP) said they were called at 6:16am to reports of a casualty on the tracks near Hyde Central station.
A person was declared dead, they said.
An investigation is now underway.
No further details have been released at this stage.
Guide Bridge line re-opens
National Rail say:
The emergency services have now safely dealt with the earlier incident between Guide Bridge and Romiley, allowing all lines running between these stations to reopen.
As service recovers, trains running between Manchester Piccadilly and Rose Hill Marple may still be revised.
Disruption is expected until 10:30.
They add
You may use your ticket to travel on alternative Northern services via any reasonable route at no extra cost.
Ticket restrictions have been lifted during this disruption.
Disruption between Guide Bridge and Romiley expected until at least 10:30am
National Rail have just updated passengers that the disruption between Romiley and Guide Bridge is expected until at least 10:30am.
Emergency services are currently dealing with an incident.
We've approached British Transport Police (BTP) for more information and are awaiting an update
'Services that do run will be very busy'
Northern say the track issue is between Manchester Piccadilly and Ardwick.
They say:
Fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes.
Services between Manchester Piccadilly and Ardwick are currently being disrupted due to a speed restriction over defective track.
Network Rail are on site investigating the problem, however we are advised this will impact services for the rest of today.
Affected Northern services:
- Manchester Piccadilly - Alderley Edge these services will be cancelled, customers may travel on services towards Crewe.
- Manchester Piccadilly - Buxton services will be reduced to hourly
- Manchester Piccadilly - Hazel Grove in both directions services will be cancelled, customers may travel on services towards Buxton.
All ticket restrictions have been lifted.
"Passengers are advised to check before travelling and are advised services that do run will be very busy" Northern adds.
Less trains running due to track issue
TransPennine Express says:
Due to a broken rail between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport fewer trains are able to run on all lines.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.
Disruption is expected until the end of the day."
They say tickets can be used on the following services without extra cost:
- Manchester Metrolink between Manchester Victoria and Manchester Airport in both directions. ·
- Transport For Wales services between Manchester Airport and Manchester Oxford Road in both directions.
- Northern services between Manchester Airport and Manchester Oxford Road in both directions.
Disruption until end of the day due to 'broken rail'
There is also disruption on the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport, which is served by a number of intercity services.
National Rail says
A section of defective track has been reported between Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly. To allow trains to travel over the affected area, an emergency speed restriction has been imposed.
As a result of this, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 15 minutes.
This is expected until the end of the day"
The following routes are affected:
- Avanti West Coast between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe / London Euston
- Northern between Manchester Piccadilly and Alderley Edge / Buxton / Chester / Hazel Grove / Crewe / Sheffield / Stoke-on-Trent
- TransPennine Express between Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield / Doncaster / Scunthorpe
- Transport for Wales between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe / Shrewsbury / Cardff Central / Carmarthen / Fishguard Harbour / Milford Haven / Pembroke Dock
Replacement buses running
National Rail say the following rail replacement buses are running between Guide Bridge and Romily:
1 Bestway Coach will depart Guide Bridge at 08:03, all stops to Rose Hill Marple
3 x 16 seaters RSZ will depart Rose Hill Marple at 07:55, all stops to Guide Bridge. At Guide Bridge customers can connect with onward Northern services towards Manchester stations
Emergency services dealing with incident between Stockport and Tameside
National Rail says:
Emergency services are dealing with an incident between Manchester Piccadilly and Romiley via Woodley, whilst emergency services attend the incident, trains may be cancelled or diverted via Bredbury. All stations between Guide Bridge and Romiley will not be served.
Customers travelling to Gorton and Fairfield can use Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield services.
Disruption is expected until 09:00."
We have approached British Transport Police (BTP) for more information
