A signalling fault at Manchester Piccadilly railway station was reported at 06:06 BST on September 22, 2026, leading to the closure of platform 8. The fault, caused by a cabling issue, disrupted train movements and resulted in the cancellation of several services, including four Avanti West Coast trains between Manchester and London Euston scheduled at 06:02, 06:23, 09:13, and 10:13.
Multiple train operators were affected by the disruption, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales. Northern services between Manchester Piccadilly and Hazel Grove, as well as those between Piccadilly and Alderley Edge,
were cancelled, while other Northern routes from Piccadilly remained operational. Passengers were advised to check travel arrangements ahead of journeys.
Alternative travel options included the use of Northern services via Stockport toward Buxton and Crewe. Northern tickets were also accepted on Avanti West Coast trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Wilmslow and on the Bee Network 192 bus running between Manchester and Hazel Grove.
Network Rail Response and Ongoing Repairs
Network Rail identified the cabling fault causing the platform 8 closure and deployed engineers to resolve the issue. Clare Waller, Network Rail’s area director for Manchester, issued an apology to affected passengers and confirmed that teams were
“working hard to fix the problem” and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. Disruption was expected to continue until 10:00 BST on the same day.
