Passengers warned of major rail disruption across the North West today

Rail passengers travelling in the North West are being advised of major disruption for the rest of the day due to power issues impacting signalling.

The power problems happened in Manchester just before 2pm today (Thursday 6 August) and has affected train services across the city and wider region.

Currently no trains can run from Manchester Piccadilly through to Manchester Victoria and Bolton, impacting services right across the North West network.

Some trains are running south and east of the city towards Stockport, but are also subject to delays.

As a result, cancellations are expected on rail routes across Greater Manchester until the end of today (Thursday 6 August).

Anyone planning a rail journey is being strongly advised to check National Rail Enquiries or with their individual train company, with some operators issuing a 'do not travel' notice. People are being urged to check for the latest information on the National Rail website.

Ticket acceptance is in place on all Bee Network buses and Metrolink services across Greater Manchester. More information can be found on the TfGM website.

Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said: “We’re sorry to passengers impacted by a power issues in Manchester which is causing significant delays to trains through the city. While some services are now running major disruption is expected for the rest of the day. Passengers with tickets can travel on any Bee Network services. I’d urge anyone planning to travel to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.”

Andrew McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director for TPE, said: “We’re advising customers not to travel on any TransPennine Express services.

“This power outage has had a significant impact on services through Manchester and across our network, and major disruption is expected for the rest of the day.

“We’re sorry for the disruption and thank our customers for their patience.”

For the latest information you can check the Manchester Piccadilly X account on @NetworkRailMAN, and visit www.networkrail.co.uk.