CrossCountry Trains has confirmed that a full service is expected to operate on Monday 24 August, following a power cut that disrupted its control centre in Birmingham on Sunday.
Power cut disrupts Sunday services
The rail operator said the power cut affected its control centre, leaving many of the systems used to manage the railway unavailable. From 6pm on Sunday, only a "very limited" number of trains were running, with affected routes including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Cardiff, and Newcastle. A near-normal service was operating between Peterborough, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport.
Tickets and refunds
In an update issued on Monday, CrossCountry stated: "A full CrossCountry service is expected to operate today, Monday 24 August, following a power cut affecting CrossCountry's control centre. Tickets purchased for travel on CrossCountry services on Sunday, 23 August will be valid for travel on CrossCountry services up until Wednesday, 26 August. Original tickets will remain valid for travel."
The operator also said that "customers who chose not to travel on Sunday 23 August can apply for a refund at their point of purchase".
Government response
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Sunday: "Following earlier disruption on CrossCountry services, I am pleased to hear some trains are set to run tonight, and a full timetable expected to resume tomorrow (Monday, 24 August)."
She added: "While passengers should continue to check their journeys before they travel, I'd like to thank engineers who are working tirelessly to minimise disruption as much as possible. We are setting up Great British Railways and nationalising services, including Cross Country next year, to end decades of fragmentation and vulnerability on our network. We are determined to give passengers the reliability they deserve."
