Rail services across the North West are largely back to normal this morning (Friday 7 August) after a major power outage in Manchester caused widespread disruption to the railway network on Thursday.
The electricity supply failure affected signalling systems across Manchester, resulting in delays and cancellations throughout the day and impacting passengers across the region.
Engineering teams from Network Rail worked overnight to restore the affected signalling infrastructure, with all signalling systems returned to operation late on Thursday evening. Trains displaced during the disruption were also repositioned to local depots, enabling operators to restart services for the start of Friday's timetable.
Most train operators are now running their full schedules. However, some services operated by TransPennine Express continue to experience minor disruption as rolling stock and train crew are returned to their planned locations following the earlier network issues.
Passengers are being advised to check journey information before travelling using National Rail Enquiries or their train operator's website.
Chris Wright, Network Rail's North West route director, said:
"I'd like to thank passengers for their patience following yesterday's power outage and the disruption it caused across the North West."
"Our engineers worked through the night to restore signalling systems and recover the railway, and I'm pleased that most services are now running this morning. While some passengers may still experience disruption, we're continuing to work closely with train operators to return services to normal as quickly as possible.”
Network Rail has apologised to customers affected by the incident and thanked passengers for their understanding while engineers worked to recover the network.
Image credit: Network Rail
