Liverpool derailing passengers escape

A BUSY commuter train derailed in Liverpool city centre during the rush-hour tonight following a suspected mechanical fault.

All 119 passengers on board the underground train were safely evacuated after it came off the tracks as it travelled from Lime Street to Central Station.

The only casualties were two people who suffered shock, a Merseyside Fire Service spokesman said.

It appeared the derailment was caused by a mechanical fault. The derailment happened about 200 metres from Central Station.

Union officials said a temporary speed restriction of 20mph was in operation inside the tunnel.

Peter Mulcahy, incident commander for Mersey Regional Ambulance Service, said two elderly people were treated for shock but no one was taken to hospital.

One passenger who was on the train said: “The train ground to a stop and the lights went out.

“We were thinking it was a terrorist attack but we were reassured quickly and everyone stayed quite calm.”

He thought he was on the train for an hour before he was led to safety.

Another passenger told BBC: “The train just started going crazy. It was just jolting everywhere. We didn’t know what was happening. It was very scary.”