A power outage affecting CrossCountry’s control centre in Birmingham led to widespread cancellations of rail services throughout Great Britain on Sunday. The disruption impacted major routes including Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff, and Newcastle to Edinburgh. The operator indicated that a near-normal service would continue between Peterborough, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport, while a replacement bus service operated between Leicester and Peterborough.
CrossCountry stated that a limited number of trains would resume operation around 6pm Sunday, with expectations to return to normal service the following day. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed concern about the outage and indicated that publicly owned operators had been asked to provide additional services where feasible. Network Rail power teams were deployed to the site to work on restoring electrical systems.
Passengers holding CrossCountry tickets for Sunday services were permitted to use them with alternative train operators on the same routes, with validity extended through 26 August. Other operators responded to assist affected customers: Chiltern Railways added services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford and agreed to accept CrossCountry tickets via any reasonable route, while LNER also committed to accepting CrossCountry tickets to help customers reach their destinations.
The incident represents another disruption for the operator, which has faced ongoing performance concerns. Earlier this year, the passenger watchdog Transport Focus warned CrossCountry that service improvements were necessary, citing a survey showing 79% satisfaction among its customers compared to an 87% satisfaction rate across the broader rail network. The watchdog had specifically called for better passenger communication during disruptions and measures to address overcrowding. Customers experiencing delays of 30 minutes or more are eligible for delay repay compensation, and those choosing not to travel may request refunds.
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