Trains from London to the Midlands and North West are affected for a second day due to a power cut at a key Manchester signalling centre, which caused widespread delays and cancellations starting Thursday afternoon. Services operated by Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway, both of which connect to London, may remain affected until midday today, according to National Rail Enquiries. The power cut at 1.40pm on Thursday impacted more than 400 postcodes in Manchester, including the Manchester Rail Operating Centre, the main control hub for north-west England’s railways. Chris Wright, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: "I’d like to thank passengers for their patience following yesterday’s power outage and the disruption it caused across the North West. The outage caused signals to default to red, bringing train services to a standstill across parts of the Midlands and North West.