A BLOWN fuse was to blame for stranding around 20,000 commuters yesterday after a power cut brought trains throughout South Wales to a halt.

Passengers, including those at Gwent train stations, were left making alternative arrangements and using replacement buses after the signal box fuse was blown at Cardiff Central rail station at 7.20am.

Among the commuters stranded at Newport train station was Hannah Oliver, 30, who missed a business trip to Greece after her 7.25am train from Cardiff to Paddington was cancelled. She was forced to get a bus to Newport to await a later train.

The single mum from Cardiff said the disruption had cost her around £300 in lost air and train fares.

She said: "It’s just chaos from what I can gather. I have learned from this mistake not to trust public transport."

Simon Browning, 31, was two hours late for a business trip to London after he was told his 9.55am train from Cardiff would not be running.

He said: "It will have an impact on my work but it’s not the end of the world. Staff have been really helpful."

Staff from Network Rail and Western Power managed to restore the full power supply by just after 10am and said they were continuing to investigate the full cause of the problem.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said the blown fuse knocked out power supplied from Western Power.

Although trains were back on the move by mid-morning, there were still slight delays throughout the afternoon.

She said: "We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused."

Around 30 Arriva Trains Wales services were brought to a halt and First Great Western trains from London were turned around at Newport.

Level crossings were also left in the position they were in when the power went.

An Arriva Trains Wales spokeswoman said: "We have been minimising disruption by providing replacement buses. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."