A significant power failure at the Manchester Rail Operating Centre led to major disruption for train services across Greater Manchester and the North West of England. The outage, which occurred just before 2 p.m., affected the signaling systems, making it unsafe for trains to operate. Network Rail confirmed that an emergency generator failed to activate, exacerbating the problem.
As a direct consequence, services between Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, and Bolton were completely halted. While some trains were able to run south and east of the city towards Stockport, they were also subject to considerable delays. Seven different rail operators, including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express, reported widespread cancellations and delays, with National Rail advising passengers to expect disruption until the end of the day, with delays up to 120 minutes.
The incident had a broad impact, with National Rail initially stating that the Midlands were also affected, though the primary focus remained on Greater Manchester and the North West. Transport for Greater Manchester and Network Rail urged travelers to check for updates before attempting their journeys, as the complex process of bringing systems back online, including safety checks for each section of track and signal, meant a slow recovery even after power was restored. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed she was receiving regular updates on the situation.
