POLICE have today confirmed that a body was found on the tracks close to Atherton Station.

The train station, along with the railway lines between Manchester and Wigan, were closed for several hours yesterday as emergency services rushed to the scene.

Officers from the British Transport Police (BTP) along with ambulance services were called at around 9am to the Upton Road station over reports of a "casualty" on the tracks but quickly found that the person in question was dead.

A spokesman for BTP said: "Paramedics also attended, however a person was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

"Officers are currently working to identify the person and establish the circumstances that led to the incident.”

Authorities closed the station at around 9am, citing a “safety inspection” which was due to take place in the morning.

However, the building was then cordoned off with police tape and officers were spotted at the scene alongside paramedics.

As a result of the closure, the station was shut until approximately 12.30pm, with train times severely impacted.

Northern, which operates the majority of trains in the North of England, said it would be diverting services between Salford Crescent and Hindley via Bolton, causing cancellations at Swinton, Moorside, Walkden, Hag Fold and Daisy Hill stations.

Replacement buses were also brought in, to run passengers between Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate.