CrossCountry power cut disruption has forced the cancellation of almost all its rail services after a power outage struck the operator’s control centre in Birmingham on Saturday, leaving passengers stranded across a network that connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities.
The outage has knocked out many of the systems used to manage the railway, CrossCountry said, causing what the operator described as ‘significant and unforeseen disruption’ across almost all its routes. Services remain cancelled until further notice.
Routes Affected by CrossCountry Power Cut Disruption
The scale of the disruption is substantial. According to New Civil Engineer, CrossCountry operates from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff. Cancellations are affecting most routes from Glasgow to Penzance.
Major corridors hit include services between Manchester and Birmingham, passing through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff, and Glasgow to Edinburgh are also affected. Services to Plymouth and Penzance have been disrupted, with Great Western Railway accepting CrossCountry passengers as a replacement.
The only route expected to see a ‘near-normal’ service is between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport, CrossCountry said. The operator normally calls at more than 100 stations.
CrossCountry Power Cut Disruption: What Passengers Need to Know
CrossCountry has confirmed that tickets for its services on Sunday can be used with other train operators on the same route. Those tickets will also remain valid on CrossCountry services until Wednesday 26 August, the operator said, according to The Guardian.
A planned rail replacement bus service is running between Leicester and Peterborough, The Guardian reported. Chiltern Railways said it had added services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford, and that it would accept all CrossCountry tickets ‘via any reasonable route’.
Some passengers took coaches to reach their destinations before continuing their journeys with other operators. CrossCountry said it apologised to all affected passengers.
Customers whose train is delayed by 30 minutes or more are entitled to Delay Repay compensation. Those who choose not to travel at all can claim a full refund for their journey.
Passengers Vent Frustration
Reaction on social media has been sharp. Passengers described the situation as ‘stressful’ and a ‘worst case scenario’. One user on X wrote: ‘A massive thank you to Cross Country Trains for cancelling my train this morning to Birmingham. You are truly not fit for service. You have also cancelled my train coming back but that is immaterial. Useless. Utterly useless.’
‘We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible,’ a CrossCountry spokesperson said.
CrossCountry said tickets were being accepted by other operators and urged customers to check for further updates. The operator has said it will confirm when services are expected to return to normal.
