Thousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruption

Thousands of rail passengers have described “nightmare” journeys, after being hit by delays and cancellations following a power failure at a Manchester signalling centre that caused major disruption across northern England.

According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the electrical failure at Manchester Rail Operating Centre occurred just before 14:00 BST and was part of a wider power supply outage in the Ardwick area.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said disruption was expected for the rest of the day and advised passengers to check trains before they travelled.

National Rail said at least eight rail operators remain affected on Thursday evening.

It had initially said the Midlands was also affected by the outage.

BBC Transport correspondent Katy Austin said the disruption caused a “ripple effect”, with some trains outside the area directly affected – including the Midlands – impacted.

Trains travelling north from stations including Birmingham New Street and London Euston were subject to delays and cancellations.

To add to the chaos, Network Rail said “a wartime bomb” near the railway track between Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent had blocked all lines between the two stations for a time on Thursday.

The incident and the disruption has since ended, Network Rail said.

Manchester Rail Operating Centre was opened in July 2014 and houses all the controls to safely operate the railway in the region, including signalling.

According to Network Rail, its operational control boundary spans from Crewe in the south to Carlisle in the north, and from Todmorden in the east to the Welsh border in the west.

Alexander posted on X she was “sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed”.

Sarah Nelson, who was unable to get to work in Manchester, was one of a number of affected passengers who told BBC Your Voice about their disruption.

She said she faced a “nightmare” five-hour round trip to just get back to her home in Blackpool.

The remedial massage therapist’s train was stuck at Horwich Parkway for more than 90 minutes.

Chris, a technology consultant, travelled to Manchester from Scotland on Wednesday on business.

He said he would likely book a hotel for the night, despite the expense and inconvenience, describing the delay as “costly, inconvenient… frustrating”.

“We’re still being told there is no power to any of the trains, no electricity – and they don’t expect anything to run today until the end of the day,” he said.

“I will have to get a hotel here and see if I can get home tomorrow.”

A couple returning from a trip to Gibraltar were planning to get a train home to Clitheroe, Lancashire, after landing at Manchester Airport.

But Matt and Sarah had to book an Uber to take them home instead, adding it was “costing a fortune”.

Stacey was among passengers who were evacuated from a train that stopped prematurely in Manchester when signalling failed.

The 38-year-old office worker, who was travelling from Deansgate to Leyland, Lancashire, paid £60 for a taxi home.

“The train stopped when the signals went,” she said, praising the “phenomenal” staff for their “calm and professional” efforts organising a controlled evacuation from the viaduct.

As of 20:00 BST, National Rail have issued the latest updates regarding disruption:

Passengers whose journeys have been affected as a result of the disruption may be entitled to some money back.

National Rail said different train companies have different schemes, but added that “they all offer compensation”.

The amount may depend on the type of ticket and the length of delay. Each train company has its own compensation threshold.

“Claims can be made online, or by post, using a form that you can download from a train company website or get from a staffed station,” according to National Rail.

Claims could also be made via the nationwide scheme Delay Repay.

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