Thousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruption
A power failure at a signalling centre in Manchester caused widespread rail disruption across northern England, affecting thousands of passengers. Network Rail is investigating the incident, with delays expected to persist through Friday.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the significant impact that localized technical failures can have on regional transportation networks.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock Image caption, Liverpool Lime Street - a major travel hub in the North West - was among those stations hit by the disruption on Thursday
Thousands of rail passengers have described "nightmare" journeys, after being hit by delays and cancellations following a power failure at a signalling centre that caused major disruption across northern England.
A 90-second power outage occurred in the area covering Network Rail's Manchester Rail Operating Centre just before 14:00 BST on Thursday. The BBC understands there was then a delay to back-up systems kicking in, meaning affected trains had to stop while signalling was down.
Network Rail said "engineers are making good progress fixing the signalling issues" but warned that major disruption was expected until the end of the day on Friday.
At least eight rail operators remained affected on Thursday evening.
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