Millions of Britons face major disruption after 90-second power failure sparks mass travel chaos

Millions of Britons face major disruption after 90-second power failure sparks mass travel chaos At least eight rail operators were still hit by the end of yesterday evening, with more disruption expected today Don't Miss Most Read Power failures sparked travel chaos across northwest England last night as millions of Britons faced major disruption on the railways. Trains across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the North West were cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or rescheduled. A 90-second power outage struck an area covering Network Rail's Manchester Rail Operating Centre just before 2pm yesterday. There was then a delay to the back-up systems kicking in, meaning affected trains had to stop while signalling was out of action. In a further twist, Network Rail revealed a wartime bomb near the railway between Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent had blocked all lines between the two stations for a period. Services provided by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales were all hit by the chaos. At least eight rail operators were still hit by the end of yesterday evening - but National Rail confirmed rail replacement transport "had not been arranged at this time". All Avanti West Coast services out of Macclesfield railway station were suspended, with tickets usable on London Northwestern Railway services between Crewe and London Euston and Transport for Wales services between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe. PICTURED: A departure board showing delays and cancellations at Liverpool South Parkway station on Thursday |PA East Midlands Railway told commuters not to travel between Sheffield and Liverpool, with trains continuing to run between Nottingham and Sheffield in both directions. Both Northern and TransPennine Express advised people not to travel, with Transport for Wales organising replacement buses to run between Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Piccadilly. "We've got to really understand what's gone wrong here, because clearly something has," said Chris Wright, Route Director NW at Network Rail. "Wnd we've got to make sure we investigate that thoroughly to understand why things haven't restored as we would have expected." LATEST DEVELOPMENTS - Bedford train crash recovery operation sparks week long closure as National Rail describes fatal collision as 'isolated incident' - Duke of Gloucester previews landmark transformation of York's National Railway Museum - 'I tried out Labour's first renationalised train and it transported me back to the 1970s' - Lewis Henderson Trains are currently delayed from Manchester Piccadilly | GETTYNetwork Rail itself said services may continue to be disrupted "because many trains and crews are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident". As a result, any passengers hoping to travel on Friday will have to check online to monitor for updates. National Rail confirmed travellers are eligible for full refunds if they decide not to travel this evening - though if claiming for delay repay, travellers were told to go through the train operator they were travelling with. Sarah Nelson, who was unable to get to work in Manchester, told the BBC she faced a "nightmare" five-hour round trip just to get back home to Blackpool. Matt and Sarah, who were returning from a trip to Gibraltar, were set to take the train home to Clitheroe in Lancashire after landing at Manchester Airport. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was 'sorry to hear' about the mass disruption | PABut they told the broadcaster they had to book an Uber to take them home instead - which was "costing a fortune". The Transport Secretary said she was "sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed". While new Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig said the focus "rightly needs to be on getting trains back up and running as soon as possible". Ms Craig said she would be asking Network Rail and the railways for a probe into the cause of the chaos - and their response. "We need assurances that this cannot and will not happen again," she said.