New rail timetable from THIS Sunday
A new rail timetable comes into effect across the region on Sunday (15 December), with a handful of services added and removed and others subject to slight re-timing.
In the North West, more electric Class 323 trains will come into operation, providing additional capacity on selected routes.
There will be an increase in the number of seats between Blackpool North and Manchester Airport as the current four-carriage trains revert to six-carriage formation.
Services between Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North will operate using four-carriage Class 331 trains.
Services on the Cumbrian Coast have been slightly re-timed to help improve performance and provide better connections with long-distance services at Carlisle.
As already announced by Network Rail, Salford Central station will be closed between Monday, 10 February and Sunday, 20 April for the next phase of the station’s multi-million-pound makeover.
Salford Crescent is also expected to be closed on some weekends between Saturday, 1 March and Sunday, 18 May, with more details to be announced in due course.
And late-night services between Manchester Piccadilly and Wigan (via Bolton and Atherton) will continue to be replaced by buses on Sunday to Thursday nights while work to electrify the line between Wigan and Bolton is completed.
In the North East, the Northumberland Line opens for passengers services for the first time in 60 years, with Northern services calling at Newcastle, Manors, Seaton Delaval and Ashington.
Stations at Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham and Northumberland Park are under construction and due to open in 2025. More details about the line can be found at: northumberlandline.uk
Across Yorkshire, Northern will begin operating a two-hourly service from Leeds to Huddersfield (via Dewsbury) calling at all local stations.
With the conclusion of engineering work between Church Fenton and York, the Northern stopping service between Leeds and York will now revert to its original operation, with services no longer diverted to run to and from Selby.
Late services will continue to be amended and replaced by buses on Monday to Thursday nights while work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade continues.
Work connected to the Transpennine Route Upgrade will take place in the Huddersfield area from January until May 2025.
Services running from Leeds to Dewsbury and Huddersfield will divert from Mirfield via Brighouse to Halifax (and Bradford Interchange on Saturdays).
Saturday services between Bradford Interchange and Huddersfield will no longer operate and Sunday services from Leeds to Bradford Interchange and Huddersfield will start and end at Halifax.
Services between Huddersfield and Sheffield will start and end at Lockwood.
For more information about the timetable change, visit: northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables/timetable-change
As well as the introduction of the new timetable, Northern has been advising its customers that Network Rail has announced engineering projects will affect its services on various routes across the region.
Matt Rice, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “The twice-yearly timetable change is an opportunity for us to adjust services so they better reflect customer demand.
“The Christmas period is also an opportunity for Network Rail to carry out engineering work whilst there are fewer people travelling on the network.
“For those travelling between Christmas and New Year we ask that they check their journey as close to the day of travel as possible to see if those engineering works will affect their journey.”
Last month, Northern advised customers to ‘Check Before You Travel’ during December, especially on Sundays, following RMT union members’ rejection of an enhanced four-month pay offer for conductors to work on Sundays.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.