WARRINGTON rail passengers could face disruption today (Sunday) following a major power outage which has forced CrossCountry to withdraw almost all of its train services.
The disruption is being caused by a power cut at CrossCountry’s control centre, with the operator warning that the vast majority of its services have been withdrawn today.
While Warrington does not have a regular CrossCountry service, passengers from the town could still be affected if they are travelling to destinations where a CrossCountry connection is required.
The most obvious potential impact is for passengers travelling via Manchester Piccadilly, where CrossCountry operates long-distance services to destinations including Birmingham and the South West.
A journey from Warrington to Manchester could therefore be completed normally, but a planned onward CrossCountry connection could be cancelled.
Passengers travelling from Warrington Bank Quay towards Birmingham, London, Chester or North Wales should also check their individual journey before setting off, as other operators continue to run services but wider disruption can have knock-on effects across the network.
Warrington’s two main railway stations — Bank Quay and Warrington Central — are served by other operators including Avanti West Coast, Transport for Wales and Northern, meaning the CrossCountry outage does not mean that Warrington’s rail network has been shut down.
However, passengers making longer-distance journeys are being advised to check their complete journey rather than simply checking the Warrington-to-Manchester or Warrington-to-Birmingham leg.
CrossCountry has advised passengers affected by today’s disruption to check the latest travel information before travelling.
For Warrington passengers, the disruption is therefore likely to be felt most by those connecting onto CrossCountry services elsewhere, rather than through the cancellation of CrossCountry trains at Warrington itself.
The situation is particularly significant for anyone travelling today who has booked a through journey involving CrossCountry, as alternative arrangements may be required.
A CrossCountry spokesperson said: “A power cut in Birmingham city centre has affected the building where our control centre is located. As a result, many of the systems our control teams use to manage the railway are currently unavailable. Although colleagues are working hard to safely operate services using alternative processes, CrossCountry services will be significantly disrupted on Sunday 23 August.
“While we will run as many trains as possible, passengers should expect significant reductions to services and cancellations across almost all CrossCountry routes throughout the day. We are sorry to passengers affected by this significant and unforeseen disruption.
“Ticket acceptance is in place with other train operators, and customers will be entitled to Delay Repay compensation. Customers who choose not to travel can claim a refund from their original point of purchase.
“We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible.”
Passengers are advised to check National Rail and their train operator’s latest information before travelling.
