| Major disruption on railways in northern England after Manchester power failure Posted by ChrisB at 17:25, 6th August 2026 |     |
There's major disruption on railways in northern England after a power failure in Manchester affected a communications centre
There is widespread rail disruption across much of northern England due to an electrical failure, with customers facing long delays or cancellations.
Here's what we know:
The disruption has been caused by a power failure in the Ardwick area which affected the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, which houses all the controls to safely operate the railway
Our transport correspondent Katy Austin says there was a delay to the back-up supply kicking in
National Rail says the areas directly affected are Greater Manchester and the north-west of England
Rail companies impacted include Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Northern, TransPennine Express, London
Northwestern Railway and Transport for Wales
National Rail previously advised the Midlands was impacted by the fault, but has since removed the region from its notice
What we don't know:
We don't know what has caused the electrical fault at Manchester Rail Operating Centre, or the severity of it
National Rail say disruption is expected until "the end of the day" but we don't yet know if it could last even longer
There is widespread rail disruption across much of northern England due to an electrical failure, with customers facing long delays or cancellations.
Here's what we know:
The disruption has been caused by a power failure in the Ardwick area which affected the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, which houses all the controls to safely operate the railway
Our transport correspondent Katy Austin says there was a delay to the back-up supply kicking in
National Rail says the areas directly affected are Greater Manchester and the north-west of England
Rail companies impacted include Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Northern, TransPennine Express, London
Northwestern Railway and Transport for Wales
National Rail previously advised the Midlands was impacted by the fault, but has since removed the region from its notice
What we don't know:
We don't know what has caused the electrical fault at Manchester Rail Operating Centre, or the severity of it
National Rail say disruption is expected until "the end of the day" but we don't yet know if it could last even longer
From Northern in an email -
Important update: Do Not Travel in Greater Manchester or the North West
A power supply failure in the Manchester area has had a significant impact on all rail services across Greater Manchester, Liverpool and the wider North West.
As a result, there is a Do Not Travel notice in place on most routes for the remainder of today.
What does this mean for your journey?
Northern and other train operators’ services across the North West are unable to operate as planned, and customers should expect cancellations and service alterations. There may also be knock-on effects elsewhere across the Northern network.
What should I do?
Please do not travel today if your journey involves the North West area.
No alternative transport is available.
If you are currently travelling, please check the latest information before continuing your journey.
If you have a ticket for travel on an affected route today, it will be valid for travel tomorrow.
Customers planning to travel tomorrow should check before they travel, as some services may still be affected.
For the latest service information, please visit our service updates page or use the Northern app.
We are sorry for the impact this may have on your journey and thank you for your patience while teams work to restore services.
A power supply failure in the Manchester area has had a significant impact on all rail services across Greater Manchester, Liverpool and the wider North West.
As a result, there is a Do Not Travel notice in place on most routes for the remainder of today.
What does this mean for your journey?
Northern and other train operators’ services across the North West are unable to operate as planned, and customers should expect cancellations and service alterations. There may also be knock-on effects elsewhere across the Northern network.
What should I do?
Please do not travel today if your journey involves the North West area.
No alternative transport is available.
If you are currently travelling, please check the latest information before continuing your journey.
If you have a ticket for travel on an affected route today, it will be valid for travel tomorrow.
Customers planning to travel tomorrow should check before they travel, as some services may still be affected.
For the latest service information, please visit our service updates page or use the Northern app.
We are sorry for the impact this may have on your journey and thank you for your patience while teams work to restore services.
| Re: Major disruption on railways in northern England after Manchester power failure Posted by TaplowGreen at 18:11, 6th August 2026 | |
Power failure, and as one would expect with it being the railway, back up generators failed.
Hence total chaos.
Good luck to anyone caught up in it.
