CrossCountry has cancelled most of its Sunday services throughout the UK following a power cut in Birmingham.

The rail operator said that the electrical failure affected its main control centre, leaving critical systems used to manage the railway network unavailable.

That meant that journeys were cancelled “across almost all routes”.

Most journeys are suspended until further notice, including popular routes connecting Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff, and Newcastle to Edinburgh.

A near-normal service is running between Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport.

A planned rail replacement bus service also remains in place between Leicester and Peterborough.

CrossCountry has been replying to numerous posts from ticket-holders on X, offering apologies and providing advice on alternative travel routes.

Tickets bought for CrossCountry travel on Sunday can still be used with other train operators along the same route. These tickets will also remain valid on CrossCountry services until Wednesday.

Chiltern Railways said that it had added services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford to help with the disruption, adding it will accept “all CrossCountry tickets via any reasonable route”.

London North Eastern Railway also confirmed that it would accept CrossCountry tickets “to help get affected customers to their destination”.

Customers can apply for Delay Repay compensation if their train is delayed by 30 minutes or more, while those who choose not to travel can claim a refund.

People planning on travelling on Sunday are advised to check their journey with National Rail Enquiries.

One customer said on X: “Why have all @CrossCountryUK trains to Manchester been cancelled today? Very frustrating when you have booked in advance. The app says go on train before or after but all trains are cancelled.”

Another said: “A massive thank you to Cross Country Trains for cancelling my train this morning to Birmingham. You are truly not fit for service. You have also cancelled my train coming back but that is immaterial. Useless. Utterly useless @CrossCountryUK.”

A CrossCountry spokesperson said: “While we will run as many trains as possible, passengers should expect significant reductions to services and cancellations across almost all CrossCountry routes throughout the day.

“We are sorry to passengers affected by this significant and unforeseen disruption.”

They added: “We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible.”