TRAINS face cancellations and long delays through Widnes this afternoon, Monday.

Rail replacement buses are running instead from Warrington Central heading westbound towards Liverpool Lime Street.

This is due to a faulty train which has broken down at Halewood railway station.

TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway and Northern train services are impacted.

A Northern spokesman said: “Due to a broken-down train between Warrington Central and Liverpool Lime Street, some lines are blocked.

“Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 2pm.

“Our maintenance teams are now on site and are attempting to resolve the issues with the broken-down train.

“Services between Manchester Oxford Road and Liverpool Lime Street via Newton-le-Willows are unaffected by this disruption.

“Ticket restrictions have been lifted during this disruption and customers may use alternative Northern or TransPennine Express services between Manchester stations and Liverpool Lime Street.

“For rail replacements, please see station information posters for the location of the bus pick-up points, and be advised journey times will be extended by up to 60 minutes when using road transport.

“For customers on station platforms, please listen for announcements or consult customer information screens for up-to-date train running information.

“If you have been delayed by 15 minutes or more, hold on to your tickets and claim compensation by visiting northernrailway.co.uk/delayrepay.”