Passengers across the North are being urged to check before they travel as Northern prepares to introduce new train timetables from Sunday 14 December 2025, bringing widespread changes, faster journeys and revised services across several key routes.

With just one month to go Northern is reminding customers to plan ahead as new train timetables come into effect from Sunday 14 December.

The changes form part of the national timetable update, which takes place every May and December and will bring a range of adjustments across the North of England.

Many of the updates being introduced next month support broader improvements across the rail network. In particular passengers in the North East will benefit from new routes, faster journey times and revised service patterns aimed at making rail travel more convenient and reliable.

Other areas across Northern’s vast network will also see adjustments in response to passenger demand and ongoing infrastructure works.

placeholder image — Northern train at a station. | Northern

The December period will also include several temporary changes linked to major engineering projects. Notably, the line between Leeds and York will be closed from Christmas until late January to facilitate work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade, one of the largest railway projects currently underway in the UK.

Additional engineering activity across the festive and New Year period will also affect services on some routes.

To help passengers stay informed, Northern is encouraging customers to use journey-planning tools such as the Northern app, which provides real-time updates, ticket purchasing and alerts for service changes and the National Rail Enquiries journey planner, which details engineering works and revised timetables.

Matt Rice, Chief Operating Officer for Northern, said: “The upcoming timetable changes reflect our focus on improving connectivity, strengthening reliability and offering more convenient services across the North of England.

“We are pleased to be able to offer later trains in the evening following customer feedback on some of our routes, and extra trains during peak times on others.

“I’d urge customers to check their journeys in advance as there will be some significant changes in place, particularly during the December engineering period.”

Full details of all changes are available on Northern’s website. Northern currently operates 2,650 daily services to more than 500 stations, making it the second-largest train operator in the UK.