Rail passengers at Preston Railway Station faced heavy disruption on Thursday afternoon after a major power issue in Manchester. The problem — reported to have begun at around 2pm on Thursday 6 August — affected services through Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria and rippled across the wider network, leaving dozens of trains either cancelled or delayed.
Services to major destinations 'not running as expected'
Live departures and arrivals screens at Preston showed a significant number of cancellations and indefinite delays. Journeys to coastal and long-distance destinations including Blackpool North, Windermere, Glasgow and Edinburgh were among those reported as not running as expected, according to station information.
Rail operators warned passengers that disruption was likely to persist for the rest of the day and issued strong travel advice.
“We’re advising customers not to travel on any TransPennine Express services. This power outage has had a significant impact on services through Manchester and across our network, and major disruption is expected for the rest of the day,”
Those words came from Andrew McClements, customer experience and transformation director for TransPennine Express (TPE), who also thanked customers for their patience.
Network Rail’s North West route director, Chris Wright, said the operator was sorry to passengers impacted by the power issue and reiterated that, while some services had resumed, significant disruption was still expected.
Passengers were given alternative options in some cases. Network Rail noted that ticket-holders could travel on any Bee Network services; however, Northern Rail advised it would not be able to provide rail-replacement bus services for the affected routes.
- Incident began at around 2pm on Thursday 6 August.
- Major stations affected in Manchester: Piccadilly and Victoria.
- Services from Preston to Blackpool North, Windermere, Glasgow and Edinburgh reported as not running as expected.
- TransPennine Express advised customers not to travel on TPE services for the remainder of the day.
- Northern Rail cannot provide rail replacement buses; Bee Network acceptance applies for ticket-holders.
Local impact and next steps
The disruption highlights how a single infrastructure fault in Manchester can have immediate knock-on effects for Preston commuters, leisure travellers and those connecting to long-distance services to Scotland and the Lake District. Staff at Preston were required to manage queues and assist passengers seeking information or alternatives.
For many local travellers the outage will have meant cancelled plans, missed connections and pressure on other transport links such as local bus services and road routes. Operators urged passengers to check the latest running information via National Rail Enquiries and official operator channels before attempting to travel.
At the time of reporting, cancellations were expected to continue until the end of the day. Travellers were advised to monitor updates closely and allow extra time for journeys if travel was unavoidable.
| Route from Preston | Reported status |
|---|---|
| Blackpool North | Not running as expected |
| Windermere | Not running as expected |
| Glasgow | Not running as expected |
| Edinburgh | Not running as expected |
Residents and regular travellers through Preston who were affected by the disruption described long waits and a lack of certainty about onward journeys. Local services and transport bodies will be under close scrutiny as crews work to resolve power issues and normalise timetables.
Anyone planning to travel from Preston in the hours after the incident is urged to check National Rail Enquiries and their operator’s site for the latest service updates and advice.
