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Train operators have told passengers to completely avoid travel, as a power failure in Manchester causes disruption across a large swathe of the rail network.
Northern rail and TransPennine Express “strongly advised” their customers against commuting, saying there were no replacement buses available for them.
East Midlands Railway said passengers would be unable to travel between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street.
Stranded passengers are facing two-hour delays and cancellations across Greater Manchester and the northwest of England.
National Rail expects the disruption to continue until the end of the day as it works to fix an electricity supply failure at one of its communications centres.
Companies affected by the disruption include Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander wrote on X: “I am sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed. I am receiving regular updates while Network Rail works to resolve the issue.”
Have you been affected? Email Harriette.Boucher@independent.co.uk
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In pictures: Day of travel chaos as hundreds left stranded
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Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 23:00
Train operators ‘extremely sorry’ for delays and cancellations
Train operators have apologised for the travel chaos inflicted upon commuters today as a result of the power outage.
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.”
TransPennine Express thanked customers for their patience, but warned they were “not out of the woods yet”, as further disruption is expected tomorrow.
Warrick Dent, the chief operating officer for Northern, said: “I’d like to apologise to all our customers affected by today’s disruption in Manchester.
“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.”
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 22:45
Further disruption expected in morning
Network rail has warned commuters that they will face further disruption on Friday morning following the power outage.
“Train services will continue to face cancellations for the rest of today, with warnings of further disruption into tomorrow morning,” the operator said.
“That’s because many trains and their crews are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident.
“Network Rail and train operators are urging everyone planning on travelling by rail tomorrow to ensure they check before they set off on their journey
It said its engineers were making good progress fixing the signalling issues tonight.
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 22:25
Watch: Commuters hit with travel chaos after power failureCommuters hit with travel chaos after power failure
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 22:00
Will I be refunded if my train is delayed or cancelled?
Passengers may be entitled to compensation if they their train has been delayed on cancelled as a result of the disruption today.
National Rail is advising its customers to keep their train ticket and make a note of their journey in order to make a claim.
“If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel or are unable to complete your journey, your unused ticket can be refunded without any fees by the original retailer.
“If you bought your ticket from a train company, you can find their contact information on our Find a Company page.
“Tickets purchased from self-service vending machines at stations should provide information on how to refund a ticket.”
Passengers who arrive late their destination may be able to claim compensation.
This depends on the train company, as some have different schemes, the type of ticket, and the length of the delay.
If you are delayed by over an hour, you will generally receive more compensation.
“Claims can be made online, or by post using a form that you can download from a train company website or get from a staffed station.”
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 21:30
Mapped: All the UK rail lines disrupted by major power outage
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 21:10
Mapped: Areas affected by mass travel disruption 
Areas affected by mass travel disruption (National Rail)
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 20:50
What are your rights if your train is cancelled or delayed?
What does the law say?
If you arrive 60 minutes or more later than you should have done, you are entitled to half the fare back (or a quarter, if it’s a return ticket). It doesn’t matter what caused the delay.
I thought “delay repay” was more generous?
It is, with the exception of Grand Central and Eurostar. Your delay does not have to be very long at all to qualify for at least a modest refund of part of your fare under the delay repay scheme.
Most train companies offer a partial refund for as little as 15 minutes of delay: this is known as “DR15”.
How much money do I get back with “delay repay”?
- 25 per cent of the single fare for delays of 15 to 29 minutes
- 50 per cent of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes
- 100 per cent of the single fare for delays of 60 minutes or more
- 100 per cent of the return fare for delays of 2 hours or more
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 20:30
Disruption from wartime bomb ends
✅CLEARED: Disruption caused by a wartime bomb near the railway between #Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent has now ended.
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) August 6, 2026
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 20:14
Several trains cancelled from Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria delays (National Rail)
Harriette Boucher6 August 2026 20:05