HUNDREDS of rail passengers found their plans for a smooth journey washed away by a flood in Audenshaw.
Thousands of litres of water ran along the tracks for more than two days after a water main burst close to Fairfield station.
As a result, a bridge structure further along the line – which takes trains through Tameside, calling at Guide Bridge and Stalybridge stations – was damaged.
Fast flowing water fell from the railway above to the road below at Bessemer Street in the Openshaw area of Manchester, flooding it and washing away mortar inside the bridge.
That meant trains were not allowed to travel along the line for almost five days, even though United Utilities workers had stopped the leak.
Other repairs included fixing areas of track where sinkholes had appeared and repairing electric signalling equipment which became submerged.
Paul Owen, Network Rail’s North West route operations manager, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we worked tirelessly to get the railway back up and running after it was damaged by the burst water main at Audenshaw.
“With more than three miles of track submerged by fast flowing water ,it was essential we inspected everything thoroughly and made the necessary repairs before we could reopen the line so trains could run safely again.”
Lisa Milner, Network Rail’s North West route operations manager, said of the incident, which happened at the beginning of the month: “The aftermath of more than five kilometres of railway being underwater for over two days was only revealed when the water subsided.
“We worked as fast as we could to make urgent repairs to Bessemer Street railway bridge so we could get trains running as normal again.”