Northern asks customers to plan ahead for May bank holiday travel

Trains are expected to be very busy between Saturday 30 April and Monday 2 May across the Northern network.  

In addition, engineering work on some routes in the North East, Cheshire, Manchester and Cumbria will see some trains replaced by buses, meaning longer travel times on the following routes:   

Saturday 30th April 

Buses replace trains between: 

• Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool 
• Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge for connections to and from Manchester Piccadilly. There will be no buses between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne. 

Sunday 1st May 

Buses replace trains between: 

• Carlisle and Maryport 
• Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool 
• Manchester Victoria, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge 
• Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent. 

Monday 2nd May 

Buses replace trains between: 

• Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent. Please use alternative train services between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport 
• Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge for connections to and from Manchester Piccadilly. There will be no buses between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne 

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We know the bank holiday provides a great opportunity for people to get out, explore and enjoy all the North of England has to offer.  

“We’re doing all we can to prepare for the weekend and are also asking our customers to plan ahead, expect services to be busy, allow extra time for journeys and, where possible, to avoid travelling during the busiest times.”  

For full details of Northern’s timetables – and the planned engineering work visit northernrailway.co.uk. Train times can also be checked via National Rail Enquiries.