Northern releases timetables - 8 April industrial action

Northern has today published its revised timetable for train services that will run during industrial action on Saturday 8 April.

On a bumper day of sporting activity – including the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse and popular football fixtures – Northern expects to run 822 trains, more than 32 per cent of its normal services. These services will cover many, but not all, of its routes and stations across the north of England.

Northern expects all services to be busy and advises its customers to give themselves extra time to travel and consider whether their journey is necessary.

To help keep as many racegoers as possible on the move as they travel into and out of Liverpool Lime Street as part of their journey to Aintree, Northern will operate:

• Two trains per hour from Manchester to Liverpool Lime Street (one per hour between Manchester Oxford Road – first train leaving at 8.44am – and Liverpool Lime Street, and one per hour between Manchester Victoria – first train leaving at 9.12am - and Liverpool Lime Street), with capacity doubled to four carriages
• Two trains per hour from Wigan North Western (first train at 9.33am) and St Helens Central (first train at 9.50am)

The last Northern train is scheduled to leave Liverpool Lime Street station at 6.30pm, before the Grand National event is over. Customers who want to travel by train after then will need to use other train operators’ services from Liverpool Lime Street or consider alternative forms of travel for their journey home.

Paul Barnfield, Regional Director for Northern, said: “We are doing everything we can to keep customers on the move on Saturday 8 April.   Unfortunately planned strike action will severely limit our services, with the majority of the trains that we do run operating between 9am and 5pm.

“On Grand National day Northern usually provides additional train services to help as many people as possible into Liverpool to enjoy their day at Aintree.

“Wherever possible we have provided extra carriages on the trains we are able to operate, but racegoers need to know Northern’s last train out of Liverpool Lime Street will leave at 6.30pm. To get a Northern train home, visitors will need to leave Aintree well before the last races.”

“All of Northern’s services will be limited and we ask customers to plan their travel carefully.”

The Northern team will be out across the network over the next week to assist customers and answer any questions they might have.

Please check before your travel, full details of the revised timetables, and supporting information for customers can be found on the Northern’s website at northernrailway.co.uk/industrialaction.

Customers can get the latest travel advice by going to Twitter @northernassist or by checking www.journeycheck.com/northern.