A power supply failure has triggered widespread disruption across large parts of England’s rail network this afternoon, leaving passengers facing significant delays and cancellations.
The disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day, with train operators in the North West and Greater Manchester among those most heavily affected.
National Rail said some services are running up to two hours late, while others have been cancelled or revised following a fault at a communications centre in Manchester.
One train company said it was forced to suspend services because trains are “unable to run safely” while communication systems across the network are down.
Network Rail’s Regional Operating Centre, which contains the systems used to manage the railway safely, has also been affected, the BBC reported.
According to Network Rail, the incident was caused by an “external power supply failure” in the Ardwick area of Manchester.
The operators affected include Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales.
Network Rail warned passengers to expect major disruption across the North West for the remainder of the day, after the power problems in Manchester began shortly before 2pm.
It said no trains were running between Manchester Piccadilly through to Manchester Victoria and Bolton with other services across the North West network also impacted.
Passengers wait outside Manchester Piccadilly. Network Rail has warned that commuters across the North West of England can expect disruption for the rest of the day
Commuters wait inside Euston stations. The cause of the power outage is an ‘external power supply failure’ in the Ardwick area of Manchester, according to Network Rail
An electricity supply failure is causing major disruption across much of England’s train network this afternoon
Trains departing London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street also face delays or are being cancelled.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is receiving regular updates about the disruption.
The Labour MP wrote on X: ‘I am sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed.’
An electrical fault at Manchester Piccadilly also halted trains in April.
An extended 12-hour closure of the railway was needed for repairs because of the ‘complex area where this took place, with over 400 metres of damaged lines’, Network Rail said at the time.
Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said: ‘We’re sorry to passengers impacted by a power issues in Manchester which is causing significant delays to trains through the city.
‘While some services are now running, major disruption is expected for the rest of the day. Passengers with tickets can travel on any Bee Network services. I’d urge anyone planning to travel to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.’
TPE said it had stopped ‘all trains due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. Trains are unable to run safely’.
The firm said: ‘There is major disruption and no trains or replacement buses are operating and we strongly advise you not to travel.’
Andrew McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director for TPE, said: ‘We’re advising customers not to travel on any TransPennine Express services.
‘This power outage has had a significant impact on services through Manchester and across our network, and major disruption is expected for the rest of the day.
‘We’re sorry for the disruption and thank our customers for their patience.’
London Northwestern Railway said a power cut at Crewe was causing disruption to some of its services and that ‘replacement services have been ordered ‘between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street’.
Avanti West Coast is offering customers full refunds if they no longer wish to travel, while East Midlands Railway and TPE said passengers who have tickets dated for today can use them tomorrow if they decide not to travel.
Meanwhile, East Midlands Railway said it can not run trains between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street and it is ‘looking at alternative arrangements’ for passengers.
The rail firm said in a post on X: ‘Please remember that this can take time. We appreciate your patience whilst we do this.’
Some passengers caught in the chaos told Sky News that they had been told ‘to get taxis’ with others stranded at stations for more than 90 minutes.
A heavily pregnant woman said she had to pay an ‘extortionate amount of money for an Uber’ so she could get to her midwife appointment on time.
Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, the city’s integrated transport system, revealed the outage took place at Manchester Rail Operating Centre.
A spokesperson said: ‘Delays and cancellations are expected on all operator routes across Greater Manchester until the end of today (Thursday 6th August). Rail operators have issued a do not travel notice with travel advice and the latest information on the National Rail website.
‘Ticket acceptance is in place on all Bee Network buses and Metrolink services across Greater Manchester for rail passengers affected. More information can be found on the TfGM website.’
Cancelled and delayed trains at Liverpool South Parkway station in Merseyside
TransPennine Express and Northern passengers are being advised not to travel at all as trains are not able to run on multiple routes
Avanti West Coast posted on X: ‘Due to failure of the electricity supply between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, all lines are blocked.
‘Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.’
CrossCountry Trains said: ‘Due to a fault with the signalling system at Manchester Piccadilly, fewer trains can run on all lines.
‘Train services running to and from this station may be cancelled or delayed.’
Transport for Wales said: ‘Due to a fault with the signalling system between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester, services will be delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled in both directions.
‘Disruption to services is expected until 17:30.’
Northern posted on X: ‘Due to a major power failure all lines in the North West are being heavily disrupted.
‘Services will be cancelled or delayed.’
TransPennine Express, meanwhile, posted on X: ‘Due to a power failure within Network Rail in the Greater Manchester/North West area.
‘All trains will be stopped due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. Trains are unable to run safely.
‘We are currently looking into how this disruption may impact your journey, and we will update you on any alternative travel options as soon as possible.
‘Train services running across the whole TransPennine Express network will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 16:00.’
