Transport emergencies can be the result of accidents but also disruption caused by severe weather such as snow and floods. The situation can be further complicated by extremes of temperature if people are trapped in their vehicles for long periods of time.
Aviation is considered the safest form of transport, and the UK is a world leader in aviation safety, but incidents still occur and can have severe consequences.
The county of Cheshire has a wide scale rail network ranging from the West Coast Mainline between London and Scotland to other lines serving Liverpool, Manchester and North Wales. There are major rail hubs at Chester, Crewe, Warrington and Wilmslow with numerous Passenger Train Operating Companies and Freight Operating Companies operating within the County.
Due to England’s motorways being heavily trafficked with various fast-moving vehicles, road traffic collisions have the potential to occur at any time.
The most common risk is the occurrence of a road traffic collision. In most instances road traffic collisions are minor injury or damage only and can be routinely dealt with by Highways England or Cheshire Police resulting in minimal disruptions to road users. Occasionally more serious traffic collisions occur resulting in potential long delays to motorists.
Cheshire has some of the most diverse sections of motorway in the country from the high structures of Thelwall Viaduct and Weaver Viaduct to the complex junctions of Croft and Lymm interchanges. The M6 provides one of the main arterial routes for travelling north and south through England, dissecting the Cheshire countryside. Other significant roads include the M56, M62, M53, A55 and A556.
The North west region continues to see rapid growth, Smart Motorway schemes are fully operational within parts of Cheshire, on the M6 from junction 16 to 19 (Crewe to Knutsford), M56 junction 6 to 8 and the M62 junction 10 to 12. Work is continuing to progress on the M6 junction 21a to 26 and National Highways plans to complete this shortly. These motorway upgrades are designed to support capacity, keep drivers safe, reduce congestion and improve journey reliability.
Cheshire does not have a significant coastline as it is located either side of the Wirral peninsula between the Merseyside and Flintshire coasts, (bounded by the River Mersey Estuary and River Dee Estuary).
Within Cheshire, there are two main areas for passenger cruise tour vessels - Manchester Ship Canal and River Dee in Chester although, in addition, there are canal cruise tours on sections of the inland waterways in Cheshire.
There haven’t been passenger aircraft accidents in Cheshire in recent years, a pilot died in 2015 at the Oulton Park Car Fest when a plane crashed during a display. In August 2012 two died when a light aircraft crashed on farmland shortly after take-off from Hawarden.
Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest airport after London Heathrow and Gatwick with 29.4 million annual passengers (2019, Manchester Airport), Liverpool John Lennon Airport surpassed 5 million passengers arriving and departing in 2024. With such significant airport infrastructure nearby, hundreds of flights pass over Cheshire every day (800+) . Airbus oversees Hawarden Airport in Flintshire, with the Beluga XL aircraft often seen over the city of Chester and surrounding area.
In the last thirty years we have experienced two major rail incidents. The first, on the West Coast Mainline at Winsford on 23rd June 1999, involving an express passenger train running into the rear of a local empty passenger train resulted in 31 injuries. The second, at North Rode on 18th December 2008, involving a 4x4 vehicle being struck by two passenger trains resulting in the driver of one of the trains being injured.
There have been a number of Road Traffic Collisions on the motorways in Cheshire over the last few years, most notably in February 2021, a tanker struck a bridge spilling hazardous material onto the M6.
CRF Continues to work with national transport companies to plan for dealing with accidents. Cheshire Police, Highways England and North West Motorways Policing Group work together to keep major routes accessible and reduce congestion where possible. CRF also completes regular exercising involving relevant responding agencies. Organisations linked to travel such as British Transport Police, Network Rail, train/freight operating companies are continually reviewing their plans for major incidents on the rail infrastructure alongside Police, Fire, Ambulance and Local Authorities.
The predicted impacts could include:
Disruption to normal travel capabilities
Death or injury to people
People stranded in vehicles potentially in extreme weather conditions
Environmental impacts if goods are spilled into local environment
Possible damage to buildings or infrastructure
Impact on local businesses through delayed or failed deliveries
Delays in emergency services reaching people
Have an emergency kit in your car or basic items when you travel
You may not be directly involved in an accident but be aware that the transport disruption could last for hours
National Highways road safety advice will help to keep you safe whilst travelling
Check your local authority website for further information regarding local planned road closures. For emergency road closures, keep up to date via your local authorities social media pages
Keep up to date with weather conditions and travel advice as issued by the Met Office
If travelling by air or rail, check the status of your journey with your provider before you set off
If a transport incident occurs, stay calm, follow official guidance from services like National Highways, avoid the affected area if possible, use diversion routes or travel updates, and only call emergency services if there is immediate danger or injury.
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