OUTDATED trains operating on city lines should be axed after fears they may be putting passengers safety at risk, it was demanded last night.

Transport chiefs said the 142 Pacer model operating on the City Line from Liverpool to Manchester, Warrington, and St Helens needs to be replaced after a derailment at Broadgreen in June.

Critics say Pacers are little more than buses on rails.

Transport Authority Merseytravel has hit out at the decision of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) not to launch a full investigation into the accident.

“If this incident had happened at a different time and location, there could possibly have been more serious consequences,” a Merseytravel report states.

Merseytravel chairman Mark Dowd last night demanded the 142 Pacer model be taken out of use.

He said: “They need to be replaced, there is no way these Pacers should be on the railway any more.”

Cllr Dowd said he would be writing to ministers to demand their swift removal.

Carolyn Watson, spokeswoman for operator Northern Rail, said incidents such as Broadgreen were extremely rare, and said Pacer trains had a good safety record with the company’s fleet subject to a strict maintenance regime.

Three passengers and one crew member on the service from Blackpool suffered minor injuries when a train came off the track at the Olive Mount junction between Broadgreen station and Wavertree Technology Park.