Manchester train timetable changes announced by Northern and TransPennine Express including Manchester Airport

Sunday June 2 will see a new train timetable come into affect for the entire UK network. Many changes will be seen across the North west and particularly around Greater Manchester.

Northern have said that most of the services across their network will be unaffected. However, a small number have been re-timed and there are “a handful” of changes across the network. 

Services through to Manchester Airport from Liverpool Lime Street will see an increased capacity with more carriages available on the route. In addition to this, Sunday services between Buxton and Manchester Piccadilly will make additional calls at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme. 

Northern has also announced that from next month, an additional Saturday service will be introduced. The service will go from Rochdale and link Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester and Salford with the Yorkshire Dales via Clitheroe. 

This route is hoped to operate twice a day as follows according to the train operator: 

• extension of the 7.52am and 2.52pm Rochdale – Blackburn services to Ribblehead via Clitheroe and Hellifield.
• extension of the 12.18pm and 7.18pm Blackburn – Rochdale services to start back from Ribblehead 

Matt Rice, the new chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We’re all set for the new timetable next month. The vast majority of services are unaffected by the change, but there are a small number of services that have been re-timed. Customers should use the ‘Check My Timetable’ tool on the website to see the changes that affect their local station.”

TransPennine Express have also announced their changes from June 2 onwards. Most of their services will remain the same, but there are several alterations that will impact passengers around Greater Manchester- these are listed below. For more information about individual services, you can use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on TPE’s website. 

• There will now be 40 services per day along the West Coast Mainline (Manchester Airport/Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh/Glasgow Central)  
• Extra services between Manchester – York via Wakefield and Castleford
• Later additional services between Liverpool and Manchester

Chris Jackson, Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “We’re pleased to be able to offer these extra services for our customers. 

“While most of our timetable will stay the same, we urge customers to check before they travel in case there are any slight changes to their services.” 

Chris added: “Our number one priority is providing a consistent and reliable service for customers, and this timetable will allow us to continue to do so, while also bringing more benefits to customers. We have significantly reduced cancellations to services, and we will continue to make improvements.”