Northern urges commuters to check new train times ahead of timetable changes

Do you know your new train times?
A Northern trainA Northern train
A Northern train

That’s the question rail operator Northern is asking its customers in Lancashire in the run up to December’s annual timetable change.

Sunday December 15 will see the introduction of new timetables across the Northern network – and the UK’s entire railway – as part of annual plans to add new and improve existing services.

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This year, Northern is focussing on delivering improved reliability and stability, having already introduced more than 2,000 extra services each week since the start of the franchise.

In 2018 a timetable change and work on teh railway network led to widespread chaos and cancellations.

Chris Jackson, Regional Director at Northern, said: “Since 2016 we have introduced many new services in and around Lancashire and are recording more customer journeys than ever before.

“Our December timetable change this year gives us the opportunity to take another look at those services – as well as those of other operators in the region – and develop a timetable that gives our customers improved reliability.

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“We continue to work closely with Network Rail and others in the industry to deliver plans that will give our customers the best possible service.

“But we need all customers to make themselves aware of the changes by checking ahead before any travel.

"All timetables are now available online via the Northern website and National Rail Enquiries.”

Alongside the new timetables, Northern continues to introduce brand-new trains with more than 50 expected to be serving customers by the end of the year.

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Chris added: “We already have 33 new trains out on the network and a further 20 will be introduced by the end of the year giving even more customers a step-change in their journey experience.

“Our new trains – which represent a £500m investment in rail in the north of England – are more spacious than our current vehicles and all feature Wi-Fi, air conditioning and at-seat charging. They are also fully accessible and feature live customer information screens.

“Our new trains have already completed more than two million customer journeys and, with a further 50 still to be introduced, Northern customers can look forward to more improvements in the weeks and months to come.”

Northern’s new timetables are introduced on Sunday December 15, with new weekday timetables going live on Monday 16 December.

Customers can plan ahead by checking the new timetables online via the Northern website or by visiting National Rail Enquiries.