Northern has warned passengers that train services across the North West could face disruption today due to extreme heat, with journeys taking longer than usual and some routes potentially cancelled. The rail firm is operating a reduced timetable on several routes in Greater Manchester, the North West and Yorkshire to ensure a more reliable service during the hottest part of the weather.
Heat warning and reduced services
Temperatures are set to soar across the UK today, with an amber warning for extreme heat in place for parts of England, including London, Birmingham and Nottingham. In Greater Manchester, highs of 34C are expected, hotter than yesterday when 32C was recorded in Manchester.
Northern said the high temperatures increase the risk of issues on the railway and with train reliability, so adjustments have been made to the timetable. Passengers planning to travel on Thursday August 13 are urged to check their journey before setting off and allow extra time, as some services could be altered or changed at short notice.
Routes with fewer services
Northern has listed the following routes with fewer trains today:
- Rochdale to Blackburn
- Southport to Wigan / Manchester Oxford Road
- Alderley Edge to Manchester Piccadilly
- Hazel Grove / Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly
- Rose Hill and Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly
- Leeds / Skipton / Ilkley / Bradford Forster Square
- Leeds to Rochdale (fewer trains between 10:12 and 16:34)
- Leeds to York via Harrogate (fewer trains between 10:45 and 15:45)
- Leeds to Sheffield (no Yorkshire Flyer fast service until the 16:52 from Sheffield to Leeds and the 17:45 from Leeds to Sheffield; stopping service will still run throughout the day)
- Scarborough to Sheffield via Hull (full timetable between Scarborough and Hull, but reduced services between Hull and Doncaster / Sheffield)
Ticket acceptance and alternatives
Until Friday August 14, ticket acceptance is in place between Northern and TransPennine Express. Customers with a ticket for a cancelled Northern service can travel on an alternative TransPennine Express service, and vice versa.
Passengers who cannot travel on their planned train due to a cancellation can also use East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern or LNER services to reach their destination within two hours either side of the cancelled service's time. On Thursday August 13, Northern customers can use their tickets on CrossCountry services between Leeds and Sheffield and between Doncaster and York if their planned train is affected.
Passengers with tickets booked for travel on a Northern train on the affected routes on Thursday August 13 but unable to travel due to the extreme weather can use their ticket on Friday August 14 and Saturday August 15 instead. There are no trains between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria due to planned engineering improvement work.
