An outage in Manchester caused delays and cancellations, with services expected to be affected throughout the evening.

Liverpool Lime Street - a major travel hub in the North West - was among those stations hit by the disruption on Thursday Thousands of rail passengers have described "nightmare" journeys, after being hit by delays and cancellations following a power failure at a Manchester signalling centre that caused major disruption across northern England. According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the electrical failure at Manchester Rail Operating Centre occurred just before 14:00 BST and was part of a wider power supply outage in the Ardwick area. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said disruption was expected for the rest of the day and advised passengers to check trains before they travelled. National Rail said at least eight rail operators remain affected on Thursday evening. BBC Transport correspondent Katy Austin said the disruption caused a "ripple effect", with some trains outside the area directly affected - including the Midlands - impacted. Trains travelling north from stations including Birmingham New Street and London Euston were subject to delays and cancellations. To add to the chaos, Network Rail said "a wartime bomb" near the railway track between Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent had blocked all lines between the two stations for a time on Thursday.