Rail chaos as power failure brings trains across England to a standstill
The power outage will see disruption - including cancellations and delays - until the end of the day.
A power outage has caused widespread disruption across parts of the UK transport network, with supply issues causing rail services to grind to a halt.
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The electricity issue, which came to light shortly after 2pm, is impacting rail services across the Midlands and the north of England, with an electrical failure at a communications centre to blame, National Rail says.
According to the National Rail website, five major rail companies are affected by the outage, with disruption impacting Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales.
Widespread delays are expected, with rail services delayed by up to 60 minutes or rescheduled in some areas, with disruption is expected until the end of the day.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Network Rail confirmed the outage was due to 'external power supply failure'.
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Train operators Northern and TransPennine Express advised customers not to travel.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she is “receiving regular updates” while Network Rail works to resolve what she described as a “power outage”.
Ms Alexander added: “Disruption is expected during the rest of the day, so please check before you travel.”
"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," National Rail said.
"As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed or revised."
National Rail announced the disruption on X, writing that the disruption is currently affecting "Greater Manchester area / Midlands / North West of England" expected until at least 16:00".
Anyone planning a rail journey is being strongly advised to check National Rail Enquiries or with their individual train company, with some operators issuing a 'do not travel' notice.
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.”
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.”