New direct rail service from Leeds to Chester on Sundays

The first service departs Leeds station at 9.43am and arrives in Chester at 12.08pm. Hourly services follow at 43 minutes past the hour until a final departure at 7.44pm, which arrives in the Cheshire city at 10.08pm.

Running in the opposite direction, the first service departs Chester at 9.25am and arrives in Leeds at 11.36am. Hourly services operate at 25 minutes past the hour until the final West Yorkshire-bound departure at 8.25pm, which arrives back in the city at 10.38pm.

Each service has more than 200 seats.

Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re pleased to be able to offer this new service, making it easier than ever for the people of West Yorkshire to visit the historic city of Chester.

“With more than 2,700 seats available in each direction, we hope this service proves popular with day trippers, who can leave the car on the drive and let the train take the strain.”

A spokesperson for Visit Cheshire said: “We are delighted to see the improvements in connectivity between these two great cities and the wider region. We look forward to welcoming more visitors from the Yorkshire region to enjoy the best that Cheshire and Chester has to offer.”

The new Leeds to Chester service is part of Northern’s new summer timetable. Whilst the overwhelming majority of services remain ‘as is’, people that make regular trips on the same trains are encouraged to use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on Northern’s website to see details specific to their local station.

For more information about the new timetable, visit: www.northernrailway.co.uk/timetablechange

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.