Good old CrossCountry - forever hopeless.

If this had been GWR then I'm sure some of our regular posters would have quite rightly been all over it.  Strange that it's only generated a handful of replies.

CrossCountry to provide full service on Monday

Train operator CrossCountry will run a full train service on Monday following major disruption to services across the country.

The operator said it plans to run a "very limited number of trains" from around 18:00 BST on Sunday evening, and a full service on Monday.

It comes after a power outage affected its control centre in Birmingham, resulting in mass cancellations across the network on Sunday.

A CrossCountry spokesperson said: "Our key priority is now to restore as close to a normal service as possible for our customers tomorrow."  They added: "With most facilities now reinstated, we are planning to operate a very limited number of services from around 18:00 this evening, primarily on routes towards Leicester and Derby.

"Planning is underway to support a full train service on Monday and we are working closely with National Grid and industry partners as recovery efforts continue.  We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during today's disruption."

Customers have been strongly advised by the operator to check their journey before travelling.

Customers delayed by 30 minutes or more may be entitled to compensation, the operator said, adding: "While those who choose not to travel can claim a refund from their original point of purchase."

(BBC article continues)

They would still be vulnerable to power cuts, though, without a major integration and update of backup systems.  That will take time.  And money. 

Maybe a benefit of GBR would be the elimination of separate TOC/NR control offices?

The XC Control Room duty manager would be needed to deal with incident management.  That could be something quite small such as dealing with a driver who has had a SPAD, to something more serious like stranded train scenarios, to something very serious such as an accident or derailment.  So I can understand why them being contactable and in contact with everyone is essential these days. 

Each TOC having back up facilities that can be fully operational within a couple of hours could also be regarded as essential.

CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cut

Trains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre.

The power outage started in Birmingham on Saturday and as a result, many of the systems used to manage the railway are unavailable, the operator said.

Cancellations are affecting most routes, from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester, until further notice because of "significant and unforeseen disruption", said CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, in June.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned to hear about a power outage" and had asked publicly owned operators to provide "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," she added.

Passengers are venting their anger on social media, saying the situation is the "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator.

Major routes between Manchester and Birmingham, which passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton, along with routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Glasgow to Edinburgh, are all affected.

CrossCountry confirmed tickets for Sunday would remain valid until Wednesday.

One user on X asked the operator if the situation would be resolved on Monday.

It responded: "We would hope so, but at the moment we have no further updates.

(BBC article continues)

Seems to be lack of contingency plan at work here.

Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available

Out of curiosity, I checked the "south-eastern" leg (Birmingham to Oxford, Reading and the South Coast) on their website which showed only an apology for reduced catering on most trains due to unavailability of staff. So perhaps "No trains on Cross-Country" is a bit of an exaggeration?

Not to weigh in on the criticism... but to ask why "XC control" has become vital to the running of trains? Isn't the signalling and NR control function capable of meeting all the operational and safety requirements?

If this had been GWR then I'm sure some of our regular posters would have quite rightly been all over it.  Strange that it's only generated a handful of replies.

ALL Crosscountry services suspended [removed from timetable] due to a power failure at their control centre.

Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.

09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27

09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27 will call additionally at Tiverton Parkway.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.