Northern customers asked to plan carefully for Easter travel

Wide-ranging Network Rail engineering work and other disruption on Easter Sunday will see Northern running amended timetables, with some cancellations - primarily in the North West - and reductions in usual services.

Customers are advised to check up to the last minute before travelling.

Paul Barnfield, service delivery director at Northern, said: "We plan to run as many services as possible on Easter Sunday and will provide the best possible service on key routes to the most popular destinations. However, engineering work across the region, coupled with other changes we have had to make, means there are fewer trains operating than normal.

"Some routes will have no services at all, while others may have a limited service, with rail replacement buses operating in some areas. And we expect all services to be extremely busy as our customers make the most of the forecast good weather and all the north of England has to offer.

"It's vital that Northern customers plan any travel carefully, allow extra time for their journeys and keep an eye out for any further changes - even up to the last minute."

James Dean, chief operating officer for Network Rail's London North Western route, said: "We're working with Northern to keep passengers moving this weekend. We're sorry to everyone affected by our vital maintence and upgrades. The purpose is to keep the railway safe and reliable."

"We echo Northern’s advice to customers: Please check before you travel so you know exactly what to expect."

Details of services into the most popular affected routes on Easter Sunday are as follows:

Blackpool

- Blackpool North – Manchester Airport – Hourly service runs in full

- Blackpool North – York (via Preston and Leeds) – Hourly service runs in full

- Blackpool South – Colne – Hourly service between Blackpool South and Preston

- Blackpool North – Manchester Oxford Road – Cancelled, rail replacement buses between Bolton and Preston

Cumbria/Lake District

- Barrow – Carlisle – Runs in full

- Barrow – Grange – Hourly service runs in full

- Lakes Line – Shuttle (operated by West Coast Railways), supported by rail replacement buses

Manchester

- Piccadilly – Buxton – Hourly service runs in full

- Piccadilly – Crewe – Hourly service runs in full

- Piccadilly – Chester – Two-hourly service runs in full

- Oxford Road – Southport – Hourly service runs in full

- Oxford Road – Hunts Cross – Hourly service runs in full

- Rochdale – Leeds – Hourly service runs in full

- Salford Central – Clitheroe – Hourly service runs in full

- Piccadilly – Hadfield – Hourly service

- Piccadilly – Sheffield – Two-hourly service

- Piccadilly – Stoke – Cancelled, rail replacement buses between Stoke and Stockport

- Oxford Road – Blackpool North – Cancelled, rail replacement buses between Bolton and Preston

- Salford Central – Wigan NW – Cancelled, rail replacement buses between Bolton and Wigan

- Manchester Airport – Liverpool South Parkway – Cancelled, customers should use Northern services between Manchester and Hunts Cross, then Merseyrail to Liverpool South Parkway

Manchester Airport

- Manchester Airport – Blackpool North – Hourly service runs in full

- Manchester Airport – Liverpool South Parkway – Cancelled, customers should use Northern services between Manchester and Hunts Cross, then Merseyrail to Liverpool South Parkway

Liverpool

- Liverpool – Wilmslow – Hourly service runs in full

- Liverpool – Wigan – Hourly service runs in full

- Southport – Manchester Oxford Road – Hourly service runs in full

- Hunts Cross – Manchester Oxford Road – Hourly service runs in full

- Liverpool South Parkway – Manchester Airport – Cancelled, customers should use Merseyrail services to Hunts Cross, then Northern services Manchester

Other changes

- Lancaster – Morecambe – Cancelled, hourly rail replacement buses between Lancaster and Morecambe

- Preston – Hellifield – Cancelled, rail replacement buses from Preston

- Lancaster – Preston – Cancelled, customers are advised to use other operators' services

Full details of Northern's timetables for the Easter weekend - including engineering work and Easter Sunday - will be published at northernrailway.co.uk or at nationalrail.co.uk from April 19.