North-west rail companies reintroduce services to timetables

Rail companies in the North-west, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express, are set to reintroduce cut services with updated timetables being introduced on 11th December.

The updated timetables will see all rail operators make some slight amendments to service times for the Winter season, and will also see the North’s embattled operators restore some connections across the North-west after staffing issues forced the two companies to cut the number of services they could offer.

Avanti West Coast will see its London to Manchester service restored to three trains per hour, while additional trains will run from London to Chester and North Wales after being cut to a daily train earlier this year.

TransPennine Express will reintroduce a full service on its trains running from Manchester Piccadilly to Edinburgh and Glasgow, while its Cleethorpes to Manchester route will be extended to Liverpool, providing Stockport with a direct connection to Lime Street.

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Service and Operations Director at TransPennine Express, said:

“Our new timetables are designed to give our customers improved connectivity across the North and into Scotland.

“The changes mean we have had to make some adjustments to existing services and we need all customers to make themselves familiar with the timetables and to check carefully before travelling.”

Despite the amended timetable, rail passengers in the North-west and across England will face disruption throughout December amid ongoing industrial action between train and railways staff and the rail operators, with the RMT union striking on 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th December. Travel over the Christmas weekend will also be affected by planned engineering work.

The previous Transport Secretary had renewed the rail company’s contract for the West Coast Mainline only for six months in October, with any further contract extension contingent on the timely restoration of a full timetable on all its routes. Mayors from across the North of England met with current Transport Secretary Mark Harper earlier this month to call for similar action to be taken with TransPennine Express ahead of their franchise renewal in early 2023.