Almost all CrossCountry trains have been cancelled today after a major power cut knocked out crucial systems at the operator’s control centre.
Passengers from Plymouth and across the rest of the country are being urged to check before travelling this morning (23 August) after services across almost the entire CrossCountry network have been withdrawn until further notice.
The disruption has been caused by a power cut in Birmingham which began yesterday and has affected the building housing CrossCountry’s control centre.
Many of the systems used by staff to manage trains across the network are currently unavailable, leaving the long-distance operator unable to run its normal Sunday service.
CrossCountry services operate through Plymouth and provide key long-distance connections towards Bristol, Birmingham, the Midlands, the North and Scotland.
The only major exception to today’s widespread cancellations is the route between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport, where a near-normal service is expected to operate.
A planned rail replacement bus service between Leicester and Peterborough will also remain in place.
A spokesperson 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.
"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.
"Ticket acceptance is in place with other train operators, and customers will be entitled to Delay Repay compensation. Customers who choose not to travel can claim a refund from their original point of purchase.
"We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible."
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