Granada Reports correspondent Rob Smith speaks to Network Rail at Piccadilly Station in Manchester<\/p>\n
Train passengers are suffering a second day of disruption on Friday after a power outage ground trains to a halt across the Midlands and north-west England. <\/p>\n
Electricity cut out in the main control hub for north-west England\u2019s railways, the Manchester Rail Operating Centre near Ashburys station in the city\u2019s east.<\/p>\n
The failure, shortly before 2pm on Thursday, has caused widespread cancellations and delays to services.<\/p>\n
Network Rail said on Friday morning that “most train services across the North West are running”.<\/p>\n
It added that its fully restored signalling systems late on Thursday, and trains displaced by the disruption were returned to depots ahead of the start of service on Friday.<\/p>\n
However, delays and cancellations are expected until midday on Friday, with passengers advised to check National Rail Enquiries and operators\u2019 websites for updates.<\/p>\n
Operators whose services remain affected on Friday morning are Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE) and Transport for Wales.<\/p>\n
Northern said its “do not travel” alert first issued on Thursday afternoon would remain in place until 10am on Friday, as \u201csome services will be amended and may not be able to run at all\u201d.<\/p>\n
TPE urged passengers to “please check carefully before any travel on Friday morning”. <\/p>\n
Various ticket restrictions have been eased to help passengers get to where they need to go. <\/p>\n
Train tickets are being accepted on Bee Network buses and Metrolink trams in Greater Manchester. <\/p>\n
Chris Wright, Network Rail\u2019s North West route director, said: “I\u2019d like to thank passengers for their patience following yesterday\u2019s power outage and the disruption it caused across the North West.<\/p>\n
“Our engineers worked through the night to restore signalling systems and recover the railway, and I\u2019m pleased that most services are now running this morning.<\/p>\n
“While some passengers may still experience disruption, we\u2019re continuing to work closely with train operators to return services to normal as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
“Anyone planning to travel this morning should continue to check before they travel for the latest information.”<\/p>\n