Train passengers are bracing for another day of travel chaos on Friday after a power outage brought the rail network to a standstill across the Midlands and north-west.
Electricity cut out in the main control hub for north-west England’s railways, the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, shortly before 2pm on Thursday (August 6).
It caused widespread cancellations and delays to services, and transport chiefs at Network Rail are warning more disruption tomorrow is likely because many trains and their crew “are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident”.
Chris Wright, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “I’m extremely sorry for the disruption today and the very difficult journeys many people have experienced. Our engineers are working tirelessly to restore the signalling systems impacted by the power cut at lunchtime.”
The network was in such a state of chaos train operators Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) both advised customers on Thursday afternoon not to travel. TPE said its trains were “unable to run safely” because of a failure in the communications systems on the network.
“I’d urge people to ensure they check National Rail Enquiries before they set off on any planned journeys tomorrow, with further cancellations and delays likely”, Andrew McClements, customer experience and transformation director at TPE, said.
The chief operating officer of Northern also apologised to all its affected customers. Warrick Dent said: “We know how frustrating it is to have your journey delayed, cancelled, or disrupted, and I’m sorry for the impact this has had on people’s day.
“Our teams have been working hard alongside Network Rail and other train operators to keep customers moving and informed throughout.
“The scale of today’s disruption means customers travelling through Manchester tomorrow morning should also check before they travel, as some knock-on delays may continue.”
This is a live news event. Please check below for the latest updates.