Northern calls on all customers to get ready for new train times

Sunday 15 December will see the introduction of new timetables across the Northern network – and the UK’s entire railway – as part of annual plans to add new and improve existing services.

This year, Northern is focussing on delivering improved reliability and stability, having already introduced more than 2,000 extra services each week since the start of the franchise.

Chris Jackson, Regional Director at Northern, said: “Since 2016 we have introduced many new services and are recording more customer journeys than ever before.

“Our December timetable change this year gives us the opportunity to take another look at those services – as well as those of other operators in the region – and develop a timetable that gives our customers improved reliability.

“We have learned from previous timetable changes and continue to work closely with Network Rail and others in the industry to deliver plans that will give our customers the best possible service.

“But we need all customers to make themselves aware of the changes by checking ahead before any travel. All timetables are now available online via the Northern website and National Rail Enquiries.”

Alongside the new timetables, Northern continues to introduce more and more brand-new trains with more than 50 expected to be serving customers by the end of the year.

Chris added: “We already have 33 new trains out on the network and a further 20 will be introduced by the end of the year giving even more customers a step-change in their journey experience.

“Our new trains – which represent a £500m investment in rail in the north of England – are more spacious than our current vehicles and all feature Wi-Fi, air conditioning and at-seat charging. They are also fully accessible and feature live customer information screens.

“Our new trains have already completed more than two million customer journeys and, with a further 50 still to be introduced, Northern customers can look forward to more improvements in the weeks and months to come.”

Northern’s new timetables are introduced on Sunday 15 December, with new weekday timetables going live on Monday 16 December.

Customers can plan ahead by checking the new timetables online via the Northern website or by visiting National Rail Enquiries.