Power failure disrupts northern England rail services:Manchester outage triggers widespread cancellations and delays

Rail services across northern England were severely disrupted on Thursday after a power failure at the Manchester Rail Operating Centre knocked out signalling and route control systems, leading to widespread cancellations and delays. Passengers were advised to avoid travel where possible as operators worked to restore services. Signalling failure triggers widespread travel chaos The outage affected key routes through Manchester, including services to Liverpool, Blackpool, Preston, Leeds, Sheffield and other destinations. Several train operators, including Northern, TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway and Transport for Wales, reported cancellations, revised timetables and delays of up to an hour. Some operators warned that disruption could continue until the end of the day. Passengers urged not to travel National Rail and train companies advised passengers to check the latest service updates before setting out, with some operators recommending that journeys be postponed. In several areas, rail replacement transport was unavailable, while local transport authorities accepted rail tickets on buses and trams to help stranded passengers complete their journeys. Engineers work to restore services Rail officials said engineers were working to restore power and safely restart signalling systems before services could fully resume. The disruption highlighted the importance of the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, which controls signalling across large parts of northern England. Transport operators said trains would return gradually as systems were brought back online, warning that knock-on delays and cancellations were likely even after the fault was resolved. ​