Northern is set to restore between 60 and 80 additional Sunday train services across the North West over the coming weeks, with around 230 Sunday trains expected to be back in operation by May next year.
The operator says services will be reintroduced incrementally, with a focus on supporting key events such as Christmas markets and prioritising routes that have seen no Sunday services for more than two years. Liverpool's Christmas markets are among the biggest in the region, meaning extra services in and out of the city during the festive period could be brought in soon.
Landmark agreement with RMT
Northern says the changes can be implemented thanks to a "landmark agreement" with the RMT union on Sunday services. The company said the development "represents a significant step forward in modernising the railway" and will create "the foundations for a seven-day service that can meet the growing demand for customers using the railway at the weekend".
Tricia Williams, managing director of Northern, said: "This is a genuinely groundbreaking agreement and a hugely positive moment for our customers, our colleagues and the railway across the North of England."
Commitment to a seven-day railway
Williams added: "Bringing an end to the longest-running trade dispute on the railway gives us the opportunity to look forward and, importantly, start delivering the improvements our customers have been waiting for."
She said the agreement gives the company "the foundation to build a more reliable, modern railway that works seven days a week" and that Northern is "committed to bringing services back as quickly as we can, taking a phased approach over the coming months and prioritising those routes and journeys where the impact has been greatest".
Williams also recognised "the constructive work with the RMT in reaching this agreement", saying it "demonstrates what can be achieved through working together". Northern says further information about service changes will be shared as plans progress.
