We are introducing a special scheme to provide additional compensation, over and above Delay Repay, if you have been affected by severely delayed or cancelled trains between 1 April and 30 June 2018. This special compensation will be available if you travelled regularly (3 days per week or more) on the specified routes below, but didn't purchase a season ticket.
Northern would like to apologise again to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused by the disruption.
There are two levels of compensation available;
Level 1 – Refund of up to 20 days' of travel if you were affected by disruption between 1 April and 30 June on specified routes.
Level 2 – Refund of up to 5 days' of travel if you were affected between 20 May and 30 June by the May timetable changes on specified routes.
Level 1 – refund of up to 20 days' of travel
There will be compensation up to the equivalent of 20 days' of travel if you travelled regularly (3 days or more per week) and faced significant disruption on specified routes shown below between 1 April 2018 and 30 June 2018.
You will need to provide evidence of a minimum of 12 days’ of travel during this period on the specified routes (including stations) within any consecutive 28 day period. If you are a season ticket holder then please apply through our Season Ticket scheme.
This disruption was caused by the delay to the electrification of the Blackpool to Preston line, which meant Northern had to carry out additional training for more than 400 train drivers. As a result, some drivers were unavailable to operate train services, leading to significant disruption on a number of routes across the North West. Additionally, these routes were impacted by the 20 May timetable change.
Eligible ticket types include:
Anytime and Off-Peak Day Singles
Anytime and Off-Peak Day Returns
Advance Purchase Singles
Advance Purchase Returns
Railcard discounted tickets
Multi-modal tickets on all applicable routes
Level 1 Routes
Lakes Lines (Oxenholme to Windermere)
Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan
Lancaster to Morecambe/Heysham
Kirkby to Wigan
Preston to Barrow-in-Furness
Southport to Manchester (via Wigan)
Preston to Blackpool South
Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport
Preston to Blackpool North
Hazel Grove to Manchester Piccadilly
Preston to Colne
Heaton Chapel to Manchester Piccadilly
Preston to Ormskirk
Manchester Victoria to Bolton
Preston to Bolton
Ellesmere Port to Manchester Victoria
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester via Warrington Central
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester via Newton le Willows
There will be compensation equivalent to up to 5 days of travel if you faced significant disruption on specified routes shown below between 20 May and 30 June 2018. You will need to provide evidence of between 3 and 5 days of travel during this period on the specified routes (including stations) within a consecutive 7 day period outlined in the table and map below. If you are a season ticket holder then you need to apply through our Season Ticket scheme.
This disruption was caused as a result of the introduction of the new timetables changes on 20 May 2018.
Eligible ticket types include:
Anytime and Off-Peak Day Singles
Anytime and Off-Peak Day Returns
Advance Purchase Singles
Advance Purchase Returns
Railcard discounted tickets
Multi-modal tickets on all applicable routes
Level 2 Routes
Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness
Leeds to York via Cross Gates
Settle to Lancaster
Leeds to Selby
Chester to Manchester via Altrincham
Leeds to Nottingham via Barnsley
Crewe to Manchester via Stockport
Carlisle to Newcastle
Manchester to Stoke on Trent
Newcastle to Chathill
Manchester to Buxton
Newcastle to Saltburn via Durham Coast
Manchester Victoria to Burnley Manchester Road
Manchester Victoria to Bradford/Leeds via Huddersfield and Halifax
Claims will be open until Tuesday 4 December 2018 and you will need to provide proof of travel such as copies of tickets or proof of payment. If you are unable to provide either, please contact our dedicated customer support team, open Monday-Friday 08:00 to 20:00, on 03332 220 126 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who will be able to advise you.
If you have any questions about the scheme then please take a look at our FAQs.
If you hold a season ticket then you should make a claim for delays and cancellations using the existing Season Ticket scheme
Only one compensation claim either for Level 1 or Level 2, per customer is permitted.
Once you have submitted your claim via our online form we aim to pay your compensation within 20 working days, using your chosen method of payment including debit/credit card refund, bank transfer or rail travel vouchers.
If you have any further questions for our dedicated team, or do not have internet access please call 03332 220 126. They can also be contacted via a special email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Monday - Friday 08:00 to 20:00.
For terms and conditions of the compensation scheme, please click here