Rail passengers are warned of “major disruption” on train services in Wigan until the end of the day.

National Rail reported there was a fault in the signalling system in the Wigan North Western area on Saturday afternoon, which meant all lines were blocked.

They have since reopened and trains are running again, but there are expected to be issued for passengers for the rest of the day.

An update on National Rail’s website said: “As a result of the severity of the issue, a considerable amount of congestion has built up in the affected area. This meas that it will take some time before service is able to fully recover.

“Trains may still be cancelled, severely delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.

“Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

The affected routes are: Avanti West Coast between London Euston and Blackpool North/Glasgow Central/Edinburgh; Northern between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western/Blackpool North, and between Blackburn and Rainford, and between Wigan Wallgate and Leeds, and between Southport and Manchester Oxford Road; and TransPennine Express between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central.

Tickets can be used on other services, as detailed on National Rail’s website, and on certain Bee Network buses.