Northern to introduce amended timetables in response to national lockdown

Northern, alongside the rest of the UK rail industry is to introduce amended timetables from Monday 18th January to continue to help those who need to travel get where they need to be.

The new timetables will see a reduction in service on some routes with overall capacity across the network also reduced.

Government advice remains that people should avoid travelling where possible and Northern is calling on anyone who does have to make rail journeys to check carefully before setting off.

Those who do need to travel by train should follow a few simple steps. Maintain social distancing where possible, wash hands before and after travel and, unless exempt, wear a face covering at stations and on trains.

Northern will also continue to support social distancing and enhanced cleaning of touch points at stations and on trains.

Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Northern, said: “From next week we will introduce an amended timetable that reflects the third national lockdown with a reduction in services across the network.

“We will focus on delivering services during the morning and evening peaks so those who need to travel  can get to where they’re needed and have the space to maintain social distancing.”

"We're therefore calling on people to check carefully before they travel and behave responsibly on our trains. In the meantime, we’ll continue with our programme of enhanced cleaning at our trains and stations to keep our customers as safe as possible and to reduce the risk of transmission while travelling with Northern.”

For up-to-date travel information please visit the Northern website or National Rail Enquiries.

About Northern:

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, employing more than 6,000 people and running regional and commuter services across the north of England.

The operator has retired its entire Pacer fleet and has introduced 100 brand new trains, part of a £500 million investment in regional rail. It is offering customers 'a better way to go' with further improvements across the network including the renovation of station facilities, better lighting, upgraded car parks and enhanced CCTV coverage. 

Other improvements on the Northern network include:

• an increase in capacity - creating space for 31,000 extra customers travelling into the five major commuter cities (Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle) of the north during the morning rush-hour
• improved ticketing, including mobile and print-at-home tickets, and discounted fares for jobseekers.

Northern provides more than 2,500 local and regional train services every day across the north of England, serving a population of nearly 15 million. There are more than 100 million passenger journeys made on our network each year.