CrossCountry cancelled nearly all its UK train services on Sunday, August 23, 2026, due to a power outage at its Birmingham control centre that began the previous day. The power cut disabled essential railway management systems, causing widespread cancellations and service reductions across the majority of CrossCountry routes.
Major Routes Affected by Power Outage
The disruption impacted key routes including Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester. Other affected connections were Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff, and Newcastle to Edinburgh. A near-normal service was maintained on the Peterborough to Cambridge to Stansted Airport route, partly due to concurrent planned engineering work.
Rail Operators Respond to Service Disruptions
CrossCountry
announced the cancellations and apologized for the unforeseen disruption, working with partners to manage the situation. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed concern and instructed publicly owned operators to provide additional services where possible. She confirmed Network Rail deployed power teams to Birmingham to work on restoring power and railway systems promptly.
Passenger Impact and Ticketing Measures
Passengers faced cancellations and significant reductions in services, resulting in the need to seek alternative routes. Tickets dated August 23 remain valid on other operators serving the same routes and continue to be valid on CrossCountry services until August 26, 2026. Travelers delayed by 30 minutes or more are
eligible for Delay Repay compensation under National Rail policies, while refunds are available for those who opt not to travel.
Support from Other Rail Companies and Travel Advice
Chiltern Railways introduced extra services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford to assist affected travelers and accepted CrossCountry tickets via reasonable routes. London North Eastern Railway also agreed to accept CrossCountry tickets to help customers reach their destinations. Passengers were advised to check journey updates through National Rail Enquiries before traveling.
CrossCountry’s spokesman said, “We are sorry to passengers affected by this significant and unforeseen disruption.” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated, “I am concerned to hear about a power outage
affecting CrossCountry rail services today, which I know will be very frustrating to passengers. I’ve asked publicly owned operators to lay on 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.”
