CrossCountry, the UK rail operator, has been hit hard by a power cut that began in Birmingham on Saturday, leading to the cancellation of “almost all” its train services across the country. This unexpected outage has knocked out vital systems used to manage railway operations, resulting in chaos for travelers from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester. The company has warned that the cancellations will continue until further notice due to what they describe as “significant and unforeseen disruption.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed deep concern over the situation, saying she was troubled to hear about the outage. “We are working to provide extra services where possible,” she added, though specifics on these additional services remain unclear. Passengers have taken to social media to express their frustration, with many calling it the “worst-case scenario”. Reese Proctor, a 22-year-old trying to reach Manchester from Leicester, described the cancellations as “frustrating and unacceptable.” He shared that the unexpected drive added two hours to his journey, leaving him “fuming” at the inconvenience. “If I couldn’t drive, or have my friend to drive, I wouldn’t know what to do,” he said, highlighting the struggle many are facing.
The impact of the power cut isn’t just limited to train cancellations. Services to Plymouth and Penzance are also disrupted, forcing customers to rely on Great Western Railway operators as a backup. A CrossCountry spokesperson confirmed the ongoing issues and mentioned that Chiltern Railways has stepped in to help. They have added services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford, accepting “all CrossCountry tickets via any reasonable route” to assist affected customers. However, travelers should be prepared to stand for part or all of their journey.
In the midst of all this, the anger and disbelief of the passengers continue to grow. “Can you believe this?” one frustrated traveler posted on X, underscoring the widespread dissatisfaction. CrossCountry has gained a reputation as Britain’s worst train operator, and this incident is likely to fuel that perception further.
As the chaos unfolds, one can only wonder what the next steps will be for CrossCountry and its passengers. Will they be able to restore services quickly, or are we in for a longer disruption? Only time will tell…
Kaynak: Orijinal Haber