Northern has announced the changes they are making to their timetable as of 09 December 2018.
In line with the announcement made in July 2018, 95 percent of the timetable will remain unchanged; however, some routes will see small changes to train times as well as some new services introduced.
The May timetable change effectively saw the Northern network fall to its knees, with hundreds of services a day cancelled, as well as overrun engineering works. Northern’s new timetable was designed to make use of their growing fleet as well as new infrastructure, including the Ordsall Chord, as well as the electrified Blackpool North line.
Due to this, Northern introduced an emergency timetable on 04 June 2018, removing approximately 160 services a day, planning to reintroduce these services by September.
Some of the more significant changes being made this December are:
- An additional morning service from Hazel Grove to Manchester Piccadilly.
- After being shortened in May, the current Preston to Leeds service will be extended back to York.
- Separate services will operate between York and Leeds, and Selby and Leeds. Those travelling beyond Leeds will have to change at Leeds.
- Services between Huddersfield and Leeds via Brighouse and Manchester Victoria and Leeds via Bradford will now terminate at Leeds.
- The current 08:24 service from Southport to Leeds will now start from Wigan Northwestern.
- A new 08:17 weekday service from Southport to Manchester Piccadilly.
- An additional weekday morning service to and from Lancaster and Morecambe.
- An additional Sunday morning service from Stoke to Manchester Piccadilly, and an additional Sunday evening service from Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke.
For up to date timetable information, please click here.
For information on how the December timetable change will affect services across the network, please click here.
What did the officials say?
Managing Director of Northern, David Brown said:
“we are taking the opportunity, where possible to make a small number of improvements to the robustness of the timetable, in an effort to address one of the problems that arose in May.”
“The May timetable was a compromise, due to it being entirely rewritten and delivered in 16 weeks compared to the usual 40 weeks following delays to Network Rail infrastructure improvements.”
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Responses
Worst train operator as always. Needs sorting out. Get the government to take over the franchise and end the strikes from happening.
It’s not the case that some of the Class 323 units have moved to the West Midlands. Northern are now employing some on Liverpool-Manchester Airport-Crewe services as their faster acceleration is required there. Things will change again once the new Class 331 units are in service.
Our local timetable , assuming it was reliable , is the worst I’ve known since electrification in 1960 . From Gatley to Manchester we’ve lost our half hourly interval clockface service – i.e now every 19 and 41 mins. Trains to Crewe are now 9 mins. slower ; and to add insult to injury we’ve had our quiet , smooth , fast accelerating and good fast braking , modern 323 rolling stock
sent to help Birmingham’s passengers enjoy an improved service . At least for their sake I hope that’s what they’re enjoying .
. In their place we have been substituted older , noisier and slower accelerating and less rapid braking 319 s . Thanks a million Northern Rail ! !