A FALLEN overhead line brought misery to hundreds of Metrolink passengers on Thursday (Oct 17) and forced the suspension of all tram services between Bury and Manchester.

The fault at Bowker Vale Station was discovered during the early hours following overnight engineering work. The disruption meant that no Bury or Manchester-bound trams could operate, causing major disruption during the busy morning rush-hour.

But Metrolink laid on a fleet of replacement buses to ferry commuters to and from stations along the Bury-Manchester line.

A spokesman for Metrolink said: "Engineers finishing the work at Bowker Vale discovered a section of overhead line had come down. We put on replacement buses, although they will not be able to carry the full number of passengers who would normally use the trams."

A team of engineers was working at Bowker Vale to repair the cable.

Metrolink bosses were hopeful that the full service would be restored in time for the evening rush-hour.