| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by eightonedee at 17:38, 23rd August 2026 |     |
Revisited this in the light of the comments above by checking National Rail departures from Reading- which showed all XC services due to run through Reading cancelled. Oh dear.....
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:26, 23rd August 2026 | |
From the BBC:
CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cut
Trains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre.
The power outage started in Birmingham on Saturday and as a result, many of the systems used to manage the railway are unavailable, the operator said.
Cancellations are affecting most routes, from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester, until further notice because of "significant and unforeseen disruption", said CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, in June.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned to hear about a power outage" and had asked publicly owned operators to provide "extra services where possible".
"We've also sent Network Rail power teams who are onsite and working to restore power and systems as soon as possible," she added.
Passengers are venting their anger on social media, saying the situation is the "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator.
Major routes between Manchester and Birmingham, which passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton, along with routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Glasgow to Edinburgh, are all affected.
CrossCountry confirmed tickets for Sunday would remain valid until Wednesday.
One user on X asked the operator if the situation would be resolved on Monday.
It responded: "We would hope so, but at the moment we have no further updates.
(BBC article continues)
Trains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre.
The power outage started in Birmingham on Saturday and as a result, many of the systems used to manage the railway are unavailable, the operator said.
Cancellations are affecting most routes, from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester, until further notice because of "significant and unforeseen disruption", said CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, in June.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned to hear about a power outage" and had asked publicly owned operators to provide "extra services where possible".
"We've also sent Network Rail power teams who are onsite and working to restore power and systems as soon as possible," she added.
Passengers are venting their anger on social media, saying the situation is the "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator.
Major routes between Manchester and Birmingham, which passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton, along with routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Glasgow to Edinburgh, are all affected.
CrossCountry confirmed tickets for Sunday would remain valid until Wednesday.
One user on X asked the operator if the situation would be resolved on Monday.
It responded: "We would hope so, but at the moment we have no further updates.
(BBC article continues)
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by ChrisB at 17:17, 23rd August 2026 | |
Seems to be lack of contingency plan at work here.
Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available
Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available
They have both those....what they can't access is their software running the crew & stock diagrams, for example.
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by IndustryInsider at 17:11, 23rd August 2026 | |
Out of curiosity, I checked the "south-eastern" leg (Birmingham to Oxford, Reading and the South Coast) on their website which showed only an apology for reduced catering on most trains due to unavailability of staff. So perhaps "No trains on Cross-Country" is a bit of an exaggeration?
I believe a ChrisB style 'Hmmmm' is needed! https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:OXF/2026-08-23/0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=wtt&toc=XC
That page of the CrossCountry website, updated by Control Room staff of course, seems to be lying. It has 13 cancellations company wide, all due to a shortage of train drivers. I suspect those were all added before the power failure?
This page tells a rather different story: https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-information/disruption/latest-travel-information
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by eightonedee at 16:55, 23rd August 2026 | |
Out of curiosity, I checked the "south-eastern" leg (Birmingham to Oxford, Reading and the South Coast) on their website which showed only an apology for reduced catering on most trains due to unavailability of staff. So perhaps "No trains on Cross-Country" is a bit of an exaggeration?
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by IndustryInsider at 16:34, 23rd August 2026 | |
Not to weigh in on the criticism... but to ask why "XC control" has become vital to the running of trains? Isn't the signalling and NR control function capable of meeting all the operational and safety requirements?
The XC Control Room duty manager would be needed to deal with incident management. That could be something quite small such as dealing with a driver who has had a SPAD, to something more serious like stranded train scenarios, to something very serious such as an accident or derailment. So I can understand why them being contactable and in contact with everyone is essential these days.
Each TOC having back up facilities that can be fully operational within a couple of hours could also be regarded as essential.
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by Trowres at 15:10, 23rd August 2026 | |
If this had been GWR then I'm sure some of our regular posters would have quite rightly been all over it. Strange that it's only generated a handful of replies.
OK I'll bite.
Not to weigh in on the criticism... but to ask why "XC control" has become vital to the running of trains? Isn't the signalling and NR control function capable of meeting all the operational and safety requirements?
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by IndustryInsider at 13:43, 23rd August 2026 | |
Good old CrossCountry - forever hopeless.
If this had been GWR then I'm sure some of our regular posters would have quite rightly been all over it. Strange that it's only generated a handful of replies.
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by Mark A at 12:45, 23rd August 2026 | |
Northbound from Cheltenham a bit grim.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:CNM/to/gb-nr:BHM/2026-08-23/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt
Also Bristol to Exeter, were it not for the GWR Cardiff to Exeter service - but, that service has its last train at around 6:30pm - today flagged in the national rail site as both 'Fastest' and 'Slower journey'. With the Crosscountry services withdrawn, that site indicates a sole opportunity for Exeter later in the evening a bit before 9pm, with a change at Taunton.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:BRI/to/gb-nr:EXD/2026-08-23/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt
Mark
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by Bob_Blakey at 11:15, 23rd August 2026 | |
I find myself wondering how many other vital rail industry support services are there that do not have:
The service split over (at least) two geographically separate locations which have the ability to deal with all (or increased) comms traffic in the event of one site suffering a catastrophic failure
or
A single site which has duplicate power supply routes, UPS infrastructure, and back-up generators
I suspect quite a few.
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by John D at 09:18, 23rd August 2026 | |
Seems to be lack of contingency plan at work here.
Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available
Very similar to the recent Manchester area disruption, no proper back up power for critical computers, or slower older reserve that can be used instead
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by grahame at 08:37, 23rd August 2026 | |
ALL Crosscountry services suspended [removed from timetable] due to a power failure at their control centre.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27 will call additionally at Tiverton Parkway.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27 will call additionally at Tiverton Parkway.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.
"I was going out for the day to Birmingham. Oh - never mind - I'll go to Reading instead"
... there will be some slow old journeys, especially north from Cheltenham Spa, won't there?| Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services Posted by plymothian at 06:30, 23rd August 2026 | |
ALL Crosscountry services suspended [removed from timetable] due to a power failure at their control centre.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
