Railworks to disrupt these Northern train services in Greater Manchester over May bank holiday weekend

Train passengers in Greater Manchester should prepare for possible disruption to their journeys over the May Bank Holiday weekend, a train operator has warned.

Engineering works in the city-region mean rail travellers should prepare carefully and check their plans before setting off, Northern said.

Rail services across the three days of the bank holiday weekend, which runs from Saturday (30 April) to Monday 2 May, are also expected to be busier than normal.

How are train services in Greater Manchester going to be affected over the Bank Holiday weekend?

On Saturday 30 April there will be rail replacement bus services running between Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge for connections to and from Manchester Piccadilly.

There will be no buses between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne.

It will be exactly the same situation on this route on Bank Holiday Monday (2 May).

On Sunday 1 May buses will replace trains between Manchester Victoria, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge and Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent.

And passengers looking to travel between Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent on Monday 2 May will have to use buses rather than trains, with Northern asking customers to use alternative rail services between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport.

Travel times will be longer than normal on all of these routes.

And Northern has warned that all trains are expected to be busier than usual across the three days of the bank holiday weekend.

Northern’s website has details of the full timetables and planned engineering works, and passengers can also log on to National Rail Enquiries to check their journeys.

What has Northern said?

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “We know the bank holiday provides a great opportunity for people to get out, explore and enjoy all the north of England has to offer.

“We’re doing all we can to prepare for the weekend and are also asking our customers to plan ahead, expect services to be busy, allow extra time for journeys and, where possible, to avoid travelling during the busiest times.”