Trains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre. The power outage started in Birmingham on Saturday and as a result, many of the systems used to manage the railway are unavailable, the operator said. Cancellations are affecting most routes, from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester, until further notice because of "significant and unforeseen disruption", said CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, in June.
Passengers are venting their anger on social media, saying the situation is the "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator. Major routes between Manchester and Birmingham, which passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton, along with routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Glasgow to Edinburgh, are all affected. Fans travelling to football fixtures have been warned that services to and from Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle might be "extremely busy".
One passenger, posting on X, said: "A massive thank you to Cross Country Trains for cancelling my train this morning to Birmingham. You are truly not fit for service. You have also cancelled my train coming back but that is immaterial.
Utterly useless." Services to Plymouth and Penzance are also disrupted with customers relying on Great Western Railway operators as a replacement. "We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible," a CrossCountry spokesperson said. At New Street station, the barriers to all platforms are open and there are regular announcements to passengers about the disruption.
There is apparently no mention of cancellations on the digital boards, with CrossCountry services removed from the lists. While the operator usually calls at more than 100 stations, it said that the only route expecting a "near-normal" service was between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport. The company apologised to passengers affected and said tickets were being accepted by other operators.
Customers are entitled to Delay Repay compensation if their train is delayed by 30 minutes or more, while those who choose not to travel can claim a refund for their journey. National Rail said affected customers could use London Underground services at no extra cost and also West Midlands Metro services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. Train tickets purchased for travel on CrossCountry services on Sunday will be valid for travel until Wednesday, it added.
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