Rail operator CrossCountry has cancelled "almost all" of its UK services following a significant power cut at its control centre in Birmingham. The outage, which began on Saturday, has rendered many of the systems essential for managing the railway unavailable, leading to widespread disruption across the country.

The cancellations are affecting numerous routes, stretching from Glasgow in the north to Penzance in the southwest, and Leeds to Manchester. CrossCountry has stated that the disruption will continue "until further notice" due to the "significant and unforeseen" nature of the problem. This latest incident exacerbates the operator's reputation, having been ranked Britain's worst rail operator in June.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed concern over the power outage, confirming that publicly owned operators have been asked to provide additional services where possible. Network Rail power teams are on-site in Birmingham, working urgently to restore power and operational systems. Passengers have voiced considerable anger and frustration on social media platforms, describing the situation as a "worst-case scenario" for weekend travel.

The implications for travellers are extensive, with major routes including Manchester to Birmingham, Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff, and Glasgow to Edinburgh all severely impacted. CrossCountry has advised that tickets purchased for Sunday would remain valid until Wednesday, attempting to mitigate some of the inconvenience.

Fans travelling to football fixtures, particularly those heading to Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle, have been warned of potentially overcrowded services. Reese Proctor, a 22-year-old attempting to reach Manchester's Etihad Stadium for a match, described the cancellations as "frustrating and unacceptable." He had to resort to driving over 100 miles to a friend's house in Leicester before continuing to the stadium, adding two hours to his journey.

Other passengers have shared similar tales of travel chaos. One user on X (formerly Twitter) labelled CrossCountry Trains as "useless" and "not fit for service" after their morning train to Birmingham and subsequent return journey were cancelled. Services connecting to Plymouth and Penzance are also experiencing disruption, with passengers being directed to use Great Western Railway operators as an alternative.

In response to the ongoing crisis, Chiltern Railways has increased services between Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford, accepting all CrossCountry tickets via reasonable routes to assist affected passengers. London North Eastern Railway has also confirmed it will accept CrossCountry tickets.

When questioned on X about the potential resolution for Monday, CrossCountry responded that while they "hope so," they currently have "no further updates." This uncertainty leaves many passengers facing continued travel difficulties and unanswered questions about when normal service will resume.