Long-distance rail services to London are facing major disruption today following an electrical fault at a communications centre.
National Rail has warned that trains across the northwest of England, particularly Greater Manchester and the Midlands, are affected.
Passengers travelling to and from London Euston, which serves many destinations in these areas, have been warned to expect delays and cancellations.
Services operated by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, East Midlands Railway, Transport for Wales, Northern and TransPennine Express have all been affected.
The disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day.
🎥 #Manchester - A visual disruption map video is now available
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) August 6, 2026
📢 @AvantiWestCoast @CrossCountryUK @EastMidRailway @LNRailway @northernassist @TPEassist @tfwrail #DisruptionVideos
ℹ️ Full video can be found here: https://t.co/W9hvWNiTWc pic.twitter.com/EO4YnFDtlW
Rail operators are urging passengers not to travel and to seek alternative forms of transport where possible.
A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said: “Due to failure of the electricity supply between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, all lines are blocked.
“Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.”
Avanti passengers can travel on London Northwestern Railway services between Crewe and London Euston and on Transport for Wales services between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe with the same ticket amid the ongoing disruption.
⚠️Due to failure of the electricity supply between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, all lines are blocked.
— Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) August 6, 2026
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.
Please check before you travel here: https://t.co/gHe5m9i9uF
Transport for Wales said: “Due to a fault with the signalling system between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester, services will be delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled in both directions.
“Disruption to services is expected until 17:30.”
East Midlands Railway customers are advised not to travel between Sheffield and Liverpool.
Rail replacement transport are en route to run between Hartford and Liverpool Lime Street for London Northwestern Railway customers.
NEW: Due to a fault with the signalling system at Manchester Piccadilly, fewer trains can run on all lines.
— CrossCountry Trains (@CrossCountryUK) August 6, 2026
Train services running to and from this station may be cancelled or delayed.
More information can be found here: https://t.co/mFvMOUlg1n pic.twitter.com/waUbnVrHN9
CrossCountry Trains said: “Due to a fault with the signalling system at Manchester Piccadilly, fewer trains can run on all lines.
“Train services running to and from this station may be cancelled or delayed.”
Northern posted on X: “Due to a major power failure all lines in the North West are being heavily disrupted.
“Services will be cancelled or delayed.”
TransPennine Express posted on X: “Due to a power failure within Network Rail in the Greater Manchester/North West area.
“All trains will be stopped due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. Trains are unable to run safely.
“We are currently looking into how this disruption may impact your journey, and we will update you on any alternative travel options as soon as possible.
“Train services running across the whole TransPennine Express network will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 16:00.”
