CrossCountry UK major train disruption as services cancelled

CrossCountry has withdrawn train services across almost all routes until further notice on Sunday 23 August, due to a power outage in Birmingham that affected its control centre and left many key railway management systems offline.

The only exception is the Peterborough, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport route, where a near-normal service is expected to operate.

CrossCountry operates services to Oxford, Bicester North and Didcot Parkway, too, but they have been cancelled.

A spokesman for CrossCountry 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.”

He warned passengers to expect widespread cancellations and delays.

He said: “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.”

Passengers who choose not to travel can claim a refund, while those delayed by 30 minutes or more may be eligible for Delay Repay compensation.

CrossCountry is working with partners to restore services and will issue further updates as soon as possible.

The spokesman said: “We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible.”

Ticket acceptance is in place with other train operators, but customers are strongly advised to check their journey before travelling.