Train operators have told passengers to completely avoid travel, as a power failure in Manchester causes disruption across a large swathe of the rail network.
Northern rail and TransPennine Express “strongly advised” their customers against commuting, saying there were no replacement buses available for them.
East Midlands Railway said passengers would be unable to travel between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street.
Stranded passengers are facing two-hour delays and cancellations across Greater Manchester and the northwest of England.
National Rail expects the disruption to continue until the end of the day as it works to fix an electricity supply failure at one of its communications centres.
Companies affected by the disruption include Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander wrote on X: “I am sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed. I am receiving regular updates while Network Rail works to resolve the issue.”
Have you been affected? Email Harriette.Boucher@independent.co.uk
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Key Points
- Operators tell passengers 'do not travel'
- Passengers should expect two hour delays, says National Rail
- Mapped: Travel chaos expected across much of England until end of day
- Passengers caught up in disruption are 'starting to get cross'
- Can I claim a refund if my train is delayed or cancelled?
- Avanti West Coast and Northern Rail among train companies affected
In pictures: Day of travel chaos as hundreds left stranded
23:00 , Harriette Boucher
Train operators 'extremely sorry' for delays and cancellations
22:45 , Harriette BoucherTrain operators have apologised for the travel chaos inflicted upon commuters today as a result of the power outage.
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.”
TransPennine Express thanked customers for their patience, but warned they were “not out of the woods yet”, as further disruption is expected tomorrow.
Warrick Dent, the chief operating officer for Northern, said: “I'd like to apologise to all our customers affected by today's disruption in Manchester.
“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.”
Further disruption expected in morning
22:25 , Harriette BoucherNetwork rail has warned commuters that they will face further disruption on Friday morning following the power outage.
“Train services will continue to face cancellations for the rest of today, with warnings of further disruption into tomorrow morning,” the operator said.
“That’s because many trains and their crews are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident.
“Network Rail and train operators are urging everyone planning on travelling by rail tomorrow to ensure they check before they set off on their journey
It said its engineers were making good progress fixing the signalling issues tonight.
Watch: Commuters hit with travel chaos after power failure
22:00 , Harriette BoucherWill I be refunded if my train is delayed or cancelled?
21:30 , Harriette BoucherPassengers may be entitled to compensation if they their train has been delayed on cancelled as a result of the disruption today.
National Rail is advising its customers to keep their train ticket and make a note of their journey in order to make a claim.
“If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel or are unable to complete your journey, your unused ticket can be refunded without any fees by the original retailer.
“If you bought your ticket from a train company, you can find their contact information on our Find a Company page.
“Tickets purchased from self-service vending machines at stations should provide information on how to refund a ticket.”
Passengers who arrive late their destination may be able to claim compensation.
This depends on the train company, as some have different schemes, the type of ticket, and the length of the delay.
If you are delayed by over an hour, you will generally receive more compensation.
“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.”
Mapped: All the UK rail lines disrupted by major power outage
21:10 , Harriette Boucher
Mapped: All the UK rail lines disrupted by major power outage
Mapped: Areas affected by mass travel disruption
20:50 , Harriette Boucher
What are your rights if your train is cancelled or delayed?
20:30 , Harriette BoucherWhat does the law say?
If you arrive 60 minutes or more later than you should have done, you are entitled to half the fare back (or a quarter, if it’s a return ticket). It doesn't matter what caused the delay.
I thought “delay repay” was more generous?
It is, with the exception of Grand Central and Eurostar. Your delay does not have to be very long at all to qualify for at least a modest refund of part of your fare under the delay repay scheme.
Most train companies offer a partial refund for as little as 15 minutes of delay: this is known as “DR15”.
How much money do I get back with “delay repay”?
Most rail firms offer:
- 25 per cent of the single fare for delays of 15 to 29 minutes
- 50 per cent of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes
- 100 per cent of the single fare for delays of 60 minutes or more
- 100 per cent of the return fare for delays of 2 hours or more
Read more here:
Disruption from wartime bomb ends
20:14 , Harriette BoucherSeveral trains cancelled from Manchester Victoria station
20:05 , Harriette Boucher
'Major disruption' in southern Wales until tomorrow night
19:48 , Harriette BoucherMajor disruption is expected on the rail network in southern Wales until 8pm on Friday.
National Rail said this is due to a fire next to the track between Newport and Cardiff Central over the weekend.
Affected routes include the CrossCountry between Nottingham and Cardiff Central.
Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Swansea, Carmarthen, and also between Taunton, Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff Central are also affected.
Transport for Wales between Manchester Piccadilly and Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Fishguard Harbour, and between Holyhead, Chester, Cheltenham Spa and Cardiff Central, and also between Newport and Ebbw Vale Town, are disrupted too.
Power outage took place near Ashbury railway station
19:17 , Harriette BoucherThe power failure that caused mass disruption across the rail network took place at Network Rail's Manchester Rail Operating Centre (ROC), the company said.
The centre is located near Ashbury's railway station and was opened at 2014.
It is one of 12 centres that manages the entire rail network across Britain.
When it was opened, Network Rail said it would have “more advanced signalling tools and technology that will help reduce delays, improve performance, increase capacity, provide better information to passengers and offer better value for money for passengers and taxpayers.”
In pictures: Empty train lines at Hunts Cross railway station in Liverpool
19:03 , Harriette Boucher
Operators tell passengers 'do not travel'
18:39 , Harriette BoucherSeveral train operators are telling passengers not to travel at all, as several areas remain without replacement buses.
Northern rail has “strongly advised” its customers not to travel, saying its train services are unable to run on multiple lines of route in the northwest.
TransPennine Express has also advised customers against travelling today.
“There is major disruption and no trains or replacement buses are operating and we strongly advise you not to travel,” it said.
East Midlands Railway said passengers would be unable to travel between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street.
Wartime bomb causes further disruption in West Midlands
18:21 , Harriette BoucherWhile thousands of passengers are facing disruption due to power failure in Manchester, West Midland commuters have had their journeys halted by a wartime bomb.
All lines have been blocked between Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent after the World War Two bomb was located near the railway.
“As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised,” National Rail said.
In pictures: Journeys across country halted by power failure
17:59 , Harriette Boucher
Passengers caught up in disruption are 'starting to get cross'
17:49 , Harriette BoucherStranded passengers say they are frustrated by the severe disruption to their journey’s
Bristol teacher Becky, 56, told BBC that she and her synchronised swimming team were likely to miss a performance in Edinburgh because they were stuck in Manchester.
She had been given no further updates from the operator and said commuters were “starting to get cross” and it was “kicking off”.
“There’s another traveller here who’s got a show to go and see tonight in Edinburgh, and he’s looking to see if the four of us could get a car together,” she told the broadcaster.
Sarah Nelson, whose train is stuck at Horwich Parkway, said it was “going to be a nightmare” trying to get home to Blackpool.
She told BBC: “They're saying they will refund us if we get taxis, but in my experience this can be a slow and painful process.
“I'm probably going to see if I can get a bus to a larger station, but I'm really indecisive as I can't work out what's best to do.”
Chris, another passenger stranded in Manchester, described the disruption as “costly, inconvenient... frustrating”.
He told the broadcaster he had “no idea” how he would get home to Edinburgh, saying: “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 says.
“I will have to get a hotel here and see if I can get home tomorrow.”
Disruption will raise questions 'about resilience of Network Rail'
17:40 , Harriette BoucherToday’s widespread travel disruption will raise questions about the resilience of Network Rail, travel expert Simon Calder said.
“This is not the first time that we've had a big problem involving signalling, which unfortunately brings tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of people's journeys to a halt,” he told Sky News.
He said the disruption will have a “ripple effect” across the whole of the UK, and believes “an inquest is beginning into how there wasn't an immediate switch to a backup system to keep the trains running.
“All that Network Rail is telling me is that it should be fixed by the end of the day, or rather, journeys will be disrupted for the rest of the day.
“Even if everything was kind of back to normal right now in terms of the signalling issues, there would then be a huge knock-on effect because trains and drivers and other crew are in the wrong places, and of course, if you are, for instance, cancelling a train from London to Manchester, then the Manchester to London train will not be able to run.”
Delays of up to two hours
17:37 , Harriette BoucherNational Rail has said trains could now be delayed for up to two hours or otherwise cancelled.
It said disruption would continue through the evening as it works to repair the electricity supply failure.
Lumo added to list of affected rail companies
17:12 , Harriette BoucherTransport secretary 'receiving regular updates' on disruption
17:05 , Harriette BoucherThe transport secretary said she was receiving regular updates on the train disruption affecting thousands of passengers in the northwest.
Heidi Alexander wrote on X: “I am sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed.
“I am receiving regular updates while Network Rail works to resolve the issue.
“Disruption is expected during the rest of the day, so please check before you travel.”
What are your rights if your train is cancelled or delayed?
16:56 , Harriette BoucherTrain journeys are often disrupted, as we can see from today’s travel chaos in the North West and Midlands. Passengers who are caught up with long delays and cancellations are entitled to a partial refund – or the full cost of the ticket for a really long delay.
But the rules are complex and change from one train operator to another. And Eurostar, which runs trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, has a quite different policy on delays.
These are the key questions and answers.
Read more here:
What are your rights if a train is cancelled or delayed?
In pictures: Passengers stranded after power failure causes major disruption
16:50 , Harriette Boucher
Major disruption expected in southern Wales until Friday night
16:40 , Harriette BoucherMajor disruption is expected on the rail network in southern Wales until 8pm on Friday.
National Rail said this is due to a fire next to the track between Newport and Cardiff Central over the weekend.
Some lines between these stations will remain closed as repairs continue.
Affected routes include the CrossCountry between Nottingham and Cardiff Central.
Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Swansea, Carmarthen, and also between Taunton, Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff Central are also affected.
Transport for Wales between Manchester Piccadilly and Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Fishguard Harbour, and between Holyhead, Chester, Cheltenham Spa and Cardiff Central, and also between Newport and Ebbw Vale Town, are disrupted too.
Midlands removed from list of affected areas
16:20 , Harriette BoucherThe Midlands is no longer included in the areas affected by train delays and cancellations.
Major disruptions are still expected until the end of the day in Greater Manchester and northwest England.
'Trains unable to run safely' due to power failure
16:15 , Harriette BoucherTrains are unable to run safely due to the electricity supply failure, TransPennine Express has said.
“All trains will be stopped due to a failure of the communication systems on the network,” the company wrote on X.
“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.”
Passengers stranded in Manchester amid disruption
16:08 , Harriette BoucherMapped: All the UK rail lines disrupted by major power outage
16:04 , Harriette BoucherMapped: All the UK rail lines disrupted by major power outage
Severe delays for services departing Manchester
16:02 , Harriette Boucher
Will I be refunded if my train is delayed or cancelled?
15:53 , Harriette BoucherPassengers may be entitled to compensation if they their train has been delayed on cancelled as a result f the disruption today.
National Rail is advising its customers to keep their train ticket and make a note of their journey in order to make a claim.
“If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel or are unable to complete your journey, your unused ticket can be refunded without any fees by the original retailer.
“If you bought your ticket from a train company, you can find their contact information on our Find a Company page.
“Tickets purchased from self-service vending machines at stations should provide information on how to refund a ticket.”
Passengers who arrive late their destination may be able to claim compensation.
This depends on the train company, as some have different schemes, the type of ticket, and the length of the delay.
If you are delayed by over an hour, you will generally receive more compensation.
“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.”
Manchester Bee Network accepting tickets from affected rail passengers
15:41 , Harriette BoucherSeveral train companies affected by power failure
15:39 , Harriette BoucherDelays and cancellations are expected to be widespread on Thursday as eight train companies have been impacted by the power failure.
Those affected include Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales.
Mapped: Travel chaos expected across much of England until end of day
15:34 , Harriette Boucher
Widespread train disruption in Midlands and northwest England
15:31 , Harriette BoucherA power failure has caused widespread disruption on railways across Greater Manchester, the Midlands, and the northwest of England.
National Rail has told customers to expect severe delays or cancellations until the end of the day.
“A failure of the electricity supply at a communications centre means trains across the Greater Manchester area, Midlands and North West of England are being disrupted.
“As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.
“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
