UK trains cancelled LIVE: Commuters braced for Friday delays after power outage

UK trains cancelled LIVE: Commuters braced for Friday delays after power outage It's set to be a difficult day to get around on the rails in the north west and Midlands on Friday after a power outage ground the network to a halt on Thursday Train passengers are bracing for another day of travel chaos on Friday after a power outage brought the rail network to a standstill across the Midlands and north-west. Electricity cut out in the main control hub for north-west England’s railways, the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, shortly before 2pm on Thursday (August 6). It caused widespread cancellations and delays to services, and transport chiefs at Network Rail are warning more disruption tomorrow is likely because many trains and their crew “are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident”. 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.” The network was in such a state of chaos train operators Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) both advised customers on Thursday afternoon not to travel. TPE said its trains were “unable to run safely” because of a failure in the communications systems on the network. “I’d urge people to ensure they check National Rail Enquiries before they set off on any planned journeys tomorrow, with further cancellations and delays likely”, Andrew McClements, customer experience and transformation director at TPE, said. The chief operating officer of Northern also apologised to all its affected customers. Warrick Dent said: “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. “Our teams have been working hard alongside Network Rail and other train operators to keep customers moving and informed throughout. “The scale of today’s disruption means customers travelling through Manchester tomorrow morning should also check before they travel, as some knock-on delays may continue.” This is a live news event. Please check below for the latest updates. Key Events This was the scene at Liverpool South Parkway station yesterday afternoon, as passnegers tried to work out how to get to their destinations amid the chaos. But only a few miles away, near Hunts Cross, it was quiet on the rails as no services ran. National Rail has confirmed a few train firms are no longer affected by the outage. They are CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, and London Northwestern. Others are still warning of disruption. We've outlined the advice to customers travelling with major operators in the posts below. Transport for Wales has put buses on to run between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. These arrangements are in place on services until the end of the day, the company said. It added: "Road Transport will take longer than rail services. Please allow extra time to complete your journey. "You can use your ticket at no extra cost on Merseyrail services between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester. "If you're using pay as you go, don't forget to tap out if you abandon your journey or use an alternative service or mode of transport. "Check services running in the area using the Transport for Wales live map." Transpennine Express has told passengers to 'continue to travel as planned' but warned 'your journey may be delayed or cancelled at short notice'. Its passenger update said: "We strongly advise you check your journey before you travel. "You can use your ticket at no extra cost in both directions on the following services up until 12:00 today: - Avanti West Coast services between Edinburgh / Glasgow Central and Preston / Crewe - Bee Network buses throughout the whole network in Greater Manchester - CrossCountry services between Sheffield, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh - LNER services between Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh - East Midland Railways between Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield - Metrolink services between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria / Manchester Airport "If you have a ticket dated for travel yesterday, Thursday 6 August and decided not to travel you may use your ticket to travel today, Friday 7 August at no extra cost. "If you are travelling using an Advance Purchase ticket on Friday 7 August, TransPennine Express have relaxed ticket restrictions, and you will be permitted to travel on any TransPennine Express train on your booked route. "Alternatively, if the train you intended to travel on is cancelled or you are unable to complete your journey then you can apply for a refund from your point of purchase." As mentioned, Northern is warnign passengers not to travel until 10am today. After then, passengers 'check before you travel as some services will be amended and may not be able to run at all', the company said in an advice to passengers update. It added: "Northern will not be able to run any service on any routes into Manchester Victoria, and also between Preston, Bolton, Wigan, Liverpool and Manchester for the remainder of the day. "Train services are subject to short notice delays and cancellations in the North West. "What should I do? You can travel on the next Northern service to your destination, where available. "You can travel on the following train operators and routes at no extra cost: - Arriva Bus Liverpool services on any reasonable route - Avanti West Coast services on any reasonable route - Blackpool Transport services on any reasonable route - CrossCountry services on any reasonable route - East Midlands Railway services on any reasonable route - Merseyrail services on any reasonable route - Metrolink services on any reasonable route - Stagecoach Buses in the Liverpool City Region - TransPennine Express services on any reasonable route - Transport for Greater Manchester bus services on any reasonable route - Transport for Wales services on any reasonable route "Northern train ticket restrictions have been lifted in the affected areas, including Advance and Peak restrictions, during this disruption. Restrictions will be reinstated once the disruption ends." Avanti has issued the following advice to passengers: "Your ticket can be used at no extra cost in both directions on: - TransPennine Express between Edinburgh / Glasgow Central and Preston - Transport for Wales services between Holyhead and Crewe "These arrangements are in place until 12:00. "If your train is cancelled, your ticket is valid on one of the two Avanti West Coast services immediately before your booked train, or one of the two immediately after. "Off-Peak ticket restrictions have been relaxed during this ongoing disruption. "If you no longer wish to travel because your train is delayed or cancelled, you can request a full refund from where you bought your ticket." In a new update to passengers published 20 minutes ago, National Rail is warning disruption will be here for hours, as one train company has told passengers not to travel this morning. The update said: "A failure of the electricity supply at a communications centre means trains across the Greater Manchester area and North West of England are being disrupted. "Trains across the Greater Manchester area and North West of England will be cancelled, severely delayed or revised. Where trains can run, some may be severely delayed or will be revised to only run part of its route. "Northern are advising do not travel until 10:00. "Engineers are working hard to restore the issue and we are hopeful that train services will return to normal tomorrow. However, due to a number of trains being in the location, there will be some disruption to services on Friday morning. "Major disruption is expected until the end of the day." Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Thursday afternoon she is “receiving regular updates” while Network Rail works to resolve what she described as a “power outage”. She also warned passengersd to expect disruption. Ms Alexander added: “Disruption is expected during the rest of the day, so please check before you travel.”