Tens of thousands of train passengers face days of disruption after a wall collapsed on to train tracks.

Tonnes of rubble and other material was left strewn across four train tracks when the wall collapsed at rush-hour on Tuesday in deep cuttings outside Liverpool’s main Lime Street station.

Three trains had to be evacuated but there were no reports of any injuries.

Network Rail says it will be “several days” before services are running to Lime Street, which handles more than 15 million passenger journeys each year.

The trackside wall collapsed around 5.45pm on Tuesday night between Lime Street and Edge Hill Station, blocking the tracks and damaging overhead power cables.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “No trains will be running in or out of Liverpool Lime Street for several days due to a trackside wall collapse on the approach to the station.

“Five large containers, each holding many tonnes of material, have been stacked by a third party on elevated land beside the collapsed section of wall.

“With part of this land having given way, these containers need removing to make the cutting safe and prevent further slips.

“Only then can we get safe access to the tracks below and develop a plan for the clear-up and repairs.”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the incident is being managed and dealt with by other agencies and is still in its early stages.

A spokesman said it is not yet clear at this stage whether the HSE will become involved.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said they have a team on site gathering evidence but it was too early to say whether a full investigation will be held.

Northern Rail said a limited service is now running on trains between Manchester and some Liverpool stations, including Huyton and Liverpool South Parkway.

Services between Liverpool and London will start and terminate at Runcorn with rail replacement buses between the town and the city centre, Virgin Trains said.

The disruption is likely to hit tens of thousands of commuters who use the station daily.

And on Saturday around 54,000 football fans are expected at Anfield as Liverpool take on Arsenal, with thousands of supporters expected to travel from London and beyond for the match.

Later on that day an exodus of fight fans is expected from Liverpool to watch local boxer Tony Bellew take on David Haye at the O2 Arena in London.

Travellers are advised to get the latest train information at the National Rail website