Improved connections pulling in to Leeds, Harrogate and Knaresborough from this weekend

From 10 December timetable changes will see Sunday services between Leeds and Knaresborough increase from every hour to every 30 minutes.

Paul Barnfield, Regional Director at Northern, said: “We are just a couple of days away from timetable changes that will offer new weekend commuting possibilities and will also boost travel options for leisure travellers.

The changes are part of a wide-ranging modernisation programme that will also see us add more than 2,000 extra services each week by 2020.

The service enhancements will go hand-in-hand with further modernisation across the Northern network, including new and fully refurbished trains, better stations and more ways to buy tickets. Northern’s oldest trains (Pacers) will also be removed from the network – with the entire programme delivered by 2020.

Paul added: “In the coming months and years our customers will see further improvements as we work to modernise our stations and facilities.

“We will also continue to improve our current fleet of trains and, from next year, will begin the introduction of 286 new, purpose built carriages. These trains will provide more space and enable us to add more than 2,000 services every week, building on the 2,500 we already operate each day.

“This is just the beginning of modernisation for our customers and there are many more exciting improvements to come on our journey to 2020.”