Manchester power cut halts London-bound trains for second day
Network Rail restores most services after Thursday outage but warns of residual delays in Barnet
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Commuters travelling between Barnet and central London faced a second day of delays on Friday after a power outage at Manchester’s rail control centre disrupted services. The incident, which began at 1.40 pm on Thursday, affected trains operated by Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway, both of which serve stations in the borough.
Network Rail confirmed that the outage, caused by a high-voltage cable failure in Harpurhey, cut power to the Manchester Rail Operating Centre. The centre controls rail signals across north-west England. SP Electricity North West said power was restored within 90 seconds, but Network Rail’s backup generators failed to activate immediately, leaving signals stuck on red.
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Impact on Barnet services
Stations in Barnet, including New Barnet and Oakleigh Park, experienced knock-on delays as trains bound for London Euston and St Pancras were held or cancelled. National Rail Enquiries warned that residual disruption could last until midday on Friday. Passengers were advised to check service updates before travelling.
Chris Wright, Network Rail’s North West route director, said engineers worked overnight to restore signalling systems. He told This Is Local London that most services were running by Friday morning, though some passengers might still face delays. Wright thanked passengers for their patience and urged them to check for updates.
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Services from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations will be affected by signalling work and other engineering.
I’d like to thank passengers for their patience following yesterday’s power outage and the disruption it caused across the North West.
Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director
What happens next
Network Rail has launched a full investigation into the incident. It is unclear when the findings will be published. SP Electricity North West has not yet provided further details on the cause of the cable failure in Harpurhey.
Passengers planning to travel between Barnet and London on Friday were advised to allow extra time. National Rail Enquiries said some cancellations might persist, though services were expected to return to normal by the afternoon.
Questions this report answers
+How long did the power outage last?
SP Electricity North West said power was restored within 90 seconds. However, Network Rail’s backup generators failed to activate immediately, prolonging the disruption to rail services for hours.
+Which London-bound train services were affected?
Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway services were disrupted. Both operators connect Barnet to London Euston and St Pancras, causing delays for commuters on Thursday and Friday.
+When will services return to normal?
Network Rail said most services were running by Friday morning, but some residual delays and cancellations could persist until midday. Passengers were advised to check for updates before travelling.
+What caused the power outage?
SP Electricity North West attributed the incident to a high-voltage cable failure in Harpurhey. Network Rail has launched an investigation into why its backup generators did not activate immediately.
WE FILE
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