Image caption Trains between Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe have been cancelled

Liverpool fans going to the Carling Cup Final faced travel chaos after a train derailed in Cheshire.

The engineering train's derailment, near Winsford, led to trains from Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe being cancelled on Sunday morning.

Fans going to the match, against Cardiff City at Wembley, were advised to reach Crewe or other stations by alternative means.

Virgin Trains said the line had reopened by about 15:30 GMT.

Services were expected to be delayed until 17:00 GMT because of a backlog of passengers, it said.

The operator had earlier advised fans intending to travel from Liverpool/Runcorn to London to consider driving to Crewe, Stafford or Stoke stations and use the rail services from there.

Alternative routes

A spokesman said: "Virgin Trains apologises for the disruption and is doing everything it can to minimise the major disruption caused by the derailment."

London Midland trains were also affected by the derailment, as were trains using the Preston-to-Crewe route.

Some Liverpool fans who had arrived at Lime Street at about 07:00 GMT said they were determined to get to Wembley.

Image caption Some fans who arrived at the station early on Sunday caught a replacement bus to Chester

One said: "It's chaos here obviously so we don't know where we're going now, we're just going to follow the queue.

"I think we'll get there, it's not a million miles away, we'll get there by hook or by crook, I think."

Others took to Twitter to vent their frustration.

One, Alistair GW, joked: "All trains between Liverpool and London are cancelled? What have the Cardiff fans been up to?"

Passengers travelling between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe towards London Euston were advised to travel via Chester or Manchester Piccadilly, while those heading to London from Runcorn were told to take a replacement bus service to Crewe.

Commuters travelling from Wigan North Western or Warrington Bank Quay were advised to travel to London via Manchester Piccadilly.

Merseyrail was running services from Liverpool to Chester every 15 minutes.

Fans were able to catch trains from Chester to Crewe to pick up connecting services to London.

Details of any ongoing delays can be found on the National Rail website.