Check before you travel

We advise customers to check their journey before travelling in the North West - Sunday 20 October

Crew shortages and Storm Ashley will affect travel. 

Short notice cancellations are expected in the North West on Sunday 20 October 2024 – please check before travelling.

Do not travel on the below routes
There will be no Northern trains running and there are no available rail replacement buses on the following routes.

• Manchester Piccadilly – Stoke-on-Trent
• Manchester Victoria – Stalybridge
• Manchester Victoria – Chester
• Preston – Colne 

Rail replacement 

• Buses replace trains  -  Blackpool South - Preston
• Buses replace trains - Huyton - Preston

Station Closure

Liverpool lime street station will be closed on Sunday 20 October. 

• Between Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North: Trains will start from / terminate at Huyton.
• Between Liverpool Lime Street and Wilmslow: Trains will start / terminate at Earlestown.
• Between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road: Trains will start / terminate at Hunts Cross.
• Buses will replace trains between:
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Hunts Cross
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Huyton
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Newton-le-Willows

We encourage everyone to plan ahead and check journeys before travelling, particularly last trains of the day which may be earlier than usual and may be cancelled at short notice.

If you do travel, please leave yourself plenty of time to do so and don't rely on last services. 

Trains currently showing may not run, our control teams are working to update the train plan but you should check closer to the time of travel.

National Rail Journey Planner Check Live Trains  Check Timetables 

Storm Ashley - Check Before Travelling

Storm Ashley is expected to cause severe weather this weekend (Sunday, 20 October), disrupting the rail network.  

The North West of the UK is expected to be affected heavily by Storm Ashley, particularly Cumbria and Lancashire, with heavy rain and strong winds. 

Check before travelling as conditions may change quickly and services may be cancelled at short notice. Try not to rely on the first and last services of the day and be prepared for delays in some regions. 

Refunds and Delay Repay 

If your train is cancelled, you can claim a full refund, (provided your ticket was purchased through Northern). More details can be found on the refunds page.

If your train is delayed you can claim a refund depending on the length of delay using the Delay Repay portal. 

Refunds  Delay Repay 

Ticket Acceptance

Mutual ticket acceptance is currently in place for routes in the North West, affected by Sunday cancellations.

Ticket acceptance means that you can use your ticket on the next service, even if it’s with another train operator listed below, if;

• Your Northern train has been cancelled,
• and no other Northern train departs on your route within an hour of the scheduled time.

This agreement is currently only valid for Sunday travel in the North West, beginning 22 September 2024, and will be reviewed.

If you have a Northern ticket and your train is cancelled, you can use your ticket on a later Northern service that day (as long as the route is the same).

Please remember to check if an alternative Northern service departs within an hour of any cancelled services, before attempting to use other operators.

The routes and operators include;

Transpennine Trains:

• Liverpool – Manchester
• Liverpool – Preston
• Manchester – Stalybridge
• Manchester – Stockport – Sheffield
• Oxenholme – Preston – Manchester – Manchester Airport

Transport for Wales: 

• Manchester – Chester, Manchester – Crewe

Recently, our performance and reliability have not been up to scratch and for that we are sorry. We are working hard to improve service reliability.