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Service resumes on CrossCountry trains after power outage
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CrossCountry says it expects to run a full service on Monday Train operator CrossCountry says it expects to run a full service on Monday after cancelling nearly all of its UK services the day before following a power cut at its control centre. The outage in Birmingham at the weekend brought disruption from Glasgow to Penzance. Major routes were affected between Birmingham and Manchester, which pass through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Journeys from Leeds to York and Cheltenham to Cardiff were also caught in the travel chaos, leaving passengers frustrated. On Monday morning, CrossCountry reported a handful of service cancellations, although these were put down to trains departing late and staff shortages. Customers are advised to check their journey before travelling. The operator on Sunday thanked passengers for their patience and understanding during the disruption. Tickets purchased for travel on CrossCountry services on Sunday will be valid for travel on CrossCountry services until Wednesday, the company has said. Customers were told on Sunday that CrossCountry had cancelled 'almost all' UK services after a power cut On Sunday, a range of personal experiences were shared by passengers. Andy Burton, from Worcester, was travelling back from Cromford to Worcester after spending the weekend away with family celebrating his sister's birthday, but only got as far as Derby before his journey came to a premature end. He was forced to stay the night in a budget hotel in the hope he could return home on Monday. "It was only once I had arrived at Derby that a member of staff told me my planned alternative route via Leicester had also been cancelled, because it was part of the CrossCountry disruption," he said. "I soon realised I was stranded, as they said there was no alternative train route back to Worcester. "It's not the best end to a great weekend away." Reese Proctor described the cancellations as "frustrating and unacceptable" as he tried to get to Manchester's Etihad Stadium in time for a 14:00 BST kick-off against Bournemouth. He had hoped to get a train from Reading to Manchester, but instead resorted to driving more than 100 miles to his friend's house in Leicester before driving on to the stadium. The 22-year-old told BBC Newsbeat the drive had added an extra two hours to his journey, leaving him "fuming". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was pleased to hear CrossCountry services were resuming, but had been left concerned by the situation A number of services resumed on Sunday evening, including an hourly train service from Birmingham New Street to Leicester and Derby. On Sunday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned" by the situation. She said: "We are setting up Great British Railways and nationalising services, including CrossCountry next year, to end decades of fragmentation and vulnerability on our network. We are determined to give passengers the reliability they deserve." The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has called for a review of railway operational control centres following the disruption, "to ensure they remain unaffected by power outages". RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said passengers and rail workers should not have to face another week of "travel chaos" because of unreliable back-up systems. CrossCountry was ranked Britain's worst rail operator in June. Have you been affected by the disruption? Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. CrossCountry ranked Britain's worst train operator Why some trains will not be stopping at Banbury Refurbished CrossCountry Voyager train revealed CrossCountry Trains National Rail