MERSEYRAIL has a relatively safe history, with only three minor derailments in the past eight years.
Around 20 passengers waited for an hour before they were allowed off. Nobody was injured in the incident, believed to have been caused by slipped points.
All services from Hamilton Square on the Wirral Line were suspended for almost 24 hours.
In 2002, a train pulling 20 carriages carrying more than 1,200 tonnes of coal derailed in Bootle at a level crossing, blocking traffic on the dock estate just after midnight.
The carriages were left tilting off the track in Regent Road. No-one was injured.
And in 1997 a train derailed as it pulled in to Kirkby station.
There were no passengers aboard the 5.34am service when it hit the buffers, sending two carriages off the tracks. Commuters faced long delays and the driver was treated for shock.
Merseyrail is run by Serco Nedrail, which took over the network from Arriva trains on July 20, 2003.
All 57 Merseyrail trains have been refurbished at a cost of £32.4m during the past 18 months.
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