(Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
A power cut has caused widespread train disruption across the country and services in the North East are expected to be "significantly disrupted".
The outage, in Birmingham city centre, has affected CrossCountry’s control centre, forcing the operator to withdraw services across almost all routes until further notice today (August 23).
The issue has left essential systems unavailable.
A spokesperson for CrossCountry said: "A power cut in Birmingham city centre has affected the building where our control centre is located.
"As a result, many of the systems our control teams use to manage the railway are currently unavailable.
"Although colleagues are working hard to safely operate services using alternative processes, CrossCountry services will be significantly disrupted on Sunday 23 August."
The only exception is the route between Peterborough, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport, where a near-normal service is expected to operate.
Customers are strongly advised to check their journey before travelling.
The 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."
CrossCountry confirmed that tickets would be accepted by other train operators.
Compensation is available through the Delay Repay scheme for passengers delayed by more than 30 minutes.
Those who choose not to travel can claim a refund from their original point of purchase.
Recommended reading
Darlington station sees almost 500k passengers in three-months since extension opens
Firestarter 'could have killed someone' when he torched a County Durham family home
LIVE - Road still closed as tributes pour in after A66 crash
The spokesperson said: "We are working closely with relevant partners and will provide further updates as soon as possible."
The latest information is available at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-information.
Customers can also check live travel updates at www.nationalrail.co.uk.