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Network Rail issues statement over Lime Street travel delays after Liverpool paradeHundreds waited outside Lime Street train station following the parade and subsequent incident on Water

StreetNewsBen Haslam13:27, 27 May 2025A large crowd outside Liverpool Lime Street station(Image: Liverpool Echo) Network Rail has apologised to people trying to get home in the pouring rain

last night after the station reduced the number of entrances to Liverpool Lime Street Station down to one. Photos from the station show hundreds of people queuing outside over the space of

several hours, with many being stranded in Liverpool as they tried to get home.

It came after the Liverpool FC title parade and subsequent incident on Water Street when a car was driven at a crowd of people, injuring dozens.

‌ Merseyside Police arrested a 53-year-old white British man from Liverpool at the scene who is believed to have been driving the car involved.

‌ Speaking at a press conference yesterday (May 26), Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims confirmed the incident was not believed to be terror-related. The ECHO revealed today that one line

of enquiry is that the car was following or attempting to follow an ambulance that was moving through the crowd.

This may have have led to some of the gathered crowd attempting to stop the vehicle before it then lurched forward and ploughed into the crowds, injuring many people.

The ECHO has heard from multiple sources that the idea that the driver tailgated an ambulance is a working theory for how the car gained access to Water Street. It is understood that the

police are considering this as a line of enquiry.

Article continues below Issuing a statement to the ECHO, a spokesperson for Network Rail apologised to people trying to get home, citing "unprecedented number of visitors to the city".

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Yesterday, the tragic incident at Water Street marred what should have been a joyful occasion for the people of Liverpool.

Network Rail apologised to people who were hit with delays yesterday(Image: Liverpool Echo)‌ "We work closely with our train operating partners and other organisations across the city to

plan for events such as this; however, on the day, an unprecedented number of visitors came to the city.

“Our priority is always to ensure the safety of the passengers at our stations, and our staff worked hard to achieve this under difficult circumstances.

"We are sorry that people were delayed in getting to where they needed to be during a distressing time. Our sympathies are with the people affected by the event.”

Article continues below When pressed on the reason behind the issues at the station, mainly the entrances being closed and shutters pulled down, Network Rail declined to go into detail about

what happened.

The ECHO visited the station twice throughout the night, once at 6pm where hundreds were queuing down the steps of the station, and again at around 9pm where hundreds remained standing in

the rain.