Northern announces December timetable changes for Manchester

The additional service, which comes into effect on the 10 December, is part of Northern’s wider planned December timetable change.

Customers travelling from Hazel Grove, Heaton Chapel, Davenport or Woodsmoor will now have an extra train to get them into Manchester before 9am – the service starts from Hazel Grove at 7.51am.

Liam Sumpter, Regional Director at Northern said: “With previous timetable changes having removed some services from the area, we were determined to give our customers on the Hazel Grove line more choice for their daily commute.

“Having spoken to many customers in and around Manchester, I’m pleased we have been able introduce the 7.51am service as part of the new December timetable.  And, as we move through 2019, we will continue to listen to feedback to work to ensure we are providing the right services at the right times.”

As well as the new Hazel Grove service, Northern has also introduced a new Sunday service between Stoke and Manchester Piccadilly and an extra service (Monday – Saturday) between Manchester Piccadilly and Southport.

December’s timetable switch will see few other changes – 95% of Northern’s services will not be altered – with the focus firmly on delivering a new timetable in which customers can have greater confidence.

Liam added: “We have only made small changes with the December timetable as we, and the wider rail industry, aim to provide further stability for customers following the difficulties in May and through the summer.

“We have taken the opportunity, where possible, to make small improvements to the robustness of the timetable in order to address some of the problems that arose in May. This was because the May timetable was a compromise timetable due to it being entirely re-written and delivered in 16 weeks rather than the normal 40 weeks following delays to Network Rail infrastructure improvements.

“These improvements have in some cases, as with the new services for Hazel Grove, Stoke and Southport, enabled us to provide more journey options for some customers.

“We appreciate that the changes announced for December 2018 will not address everyone’s needs, and we will strive to enhance services in and out of Manchester further in future timetable reviews.”

The service enhancements will go hand-in-hand with further modernisation across the Northern network.

In spring 2019 Northern will introduce the first of its brand new trains on the network, giving customers an entirely new journey experience.

The multi-million pound improvement programme will also see the full refurbishment of the rest of the Northern fleet (243 trains, investment in better stations and more ways to buy tickets. And, of course, Northern’s oldest trains – the Pacers – will also be completely removed from the network.

For further details about Northern’s new timetables please visit our website.