Rail disruption across northern England after power failure at Manchester centre

Thousands of rail passengers have described "nightmare" journeys, after being hit by delays and cancellations following a power failure at a signalling centre that caused major disruption across northern England.

A 90-second power outage occurred in the area covering Network Rail's Manchester Rail Operating Centre just before 14:00 BST on Thursday. The BBC understands there was then a delay to back-up systems kicking in, meaning affected trains had to stop while signalling was down.

Network Rail said "engineers are making good progress fixing the signalling issues" but warned that major disruption was expected until the end of the day on Friday.

At least eight rail operators remained affected on Thursday evening.

"We've got to really understand what's gone wrong here, because clearly something has and we've got to make sure we investigate that thoroughly to understand why things haven't restored as we would have expected," said Chris Wright, Route Director NW at Network Rail.

Network Rail said services may continue to be disrupted "because many trains and crews are not where they would normally be after this unexpected incident".

It has advised passengers hoping to travel on Friday to continue to check online for information on any further disruption, external: "As soon as we have information, we will keep you updated."

Manchester Rail Operating Centre was opened in July 2014 and houses all the controls to safely operate the railway in the region, including signalling.

According to Network Rail, its operational control boundary spans from Crewe in the south to Carlisle in the north, and from Todmorden in the east to the Welsh border in the west.

The initial power outage on Thursday afternoon was part of a wider power supply outage in the Ardwick area, but the BBC understands there was a delay to the back-up supply kicking in - which exacerbated the problem.

Sarah Nelson, who was unable to get to work in Manchester, was one of a number of affected passengers who told BBC Your Voice about their disruption.

She said she faced a "nightmare" five-hour round trip to just get back to her home in Blackpool.

The remedial massage therapist's train was stuck at Horwich Parkway for more than 90 minutes.

Chris, a technology consultant, travelled to Manchester from Scotland on Wednesday on business.

He said he would likely book a hotel for the night, despite the expense and inconvenience, describing the delay as "costly, inconvenient... frustrating".

"We're still being told there is no power to any of the trains, no electricity - and they don't expect anything to run today until the end of the day," he said.

"I will have to get a hotel here and see if I can get home tomorrow."

A couple returning from a trip to Gibraltar were planning to get a train home to Clitheroe, Lancashire, after landing at Manchester Airport.

But Matt and Sarah had to book an Uber to take them home instead, adding it was "costing a fortune".

Stacey was among passengers who were evacuated from a train that stopped prematurely in Manchester when signalling failed.

The 38-year-old office worker, who was travelling from Deansgate to Leyland, Lancashire, paid £60 for a taxi home.

"The train stopped when the signals went," she said, praising the "phenomenal" staff for their "calm and professional" efforts organising a controlled evacuation from the viaduct.