TransPennine Express has announced a number of changes to its services including the introduction of an extra service travelling each way every evening to connect the North West and Manchester from December, as well as an increase in trains running between Manchester and Liverpool. The change comes as train operators across the UK, including TransPennine Express, will switch to a new timetable on Sunday 15th December.
On weekdays, an additional service leaving Oxenholme in the Lake District at 7.04pm will run to Manchester Airport calling at Bolton, Preston, Lancaster and Manchester Oxford Road. An additional return service travelling back to Oxenholme will run at 9.13pm. On weekends similar trains will run, with slight differences to service times.
The train operator has also revealed that customers will see hundreds more seats on trains and services across the Pennines will run every 15 minutes from next month. Four express trains an hour will run between Manchester Victoria and Leeds as well as increased services across TransPennine Express’ network.
Across the TransPennine Express network, there will be an increase in seats for customers of 12% – around 1,300 more every day.
Another major change announced is that 50 trains will run each way, every day, between Liverpool and Manchester stations (Monday to Saturday, with fewer services on Sundays). This means an increase to two services every hour between Liverpool and Manchester Victoria. These trains will form a half-hourly express service calling only at one intermediate station (Newton-le-Willows and Lea Green alternately).
In addition, the majority of services operating between Liverpool and Cleethorpes will be six carriage trains, increasing the number of seats. This service also stops at Sheffield, Doncaster and Manchester.
Customers in Castleford, Normanton and Wakefield will also benefit from a new hourly service, seven days a week connecting them to Manchester and York as well as other stations along this route. TransPennine Express has also revealed that it will stop at Eaglescliffe in County Durham for the first time, providing an hourly service, as well as hourly calls to Chester-le-Street.
Chris Jackson, Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “We’re pleased to be returning to our more historic timetable, bringing back and adding new services and additional seats which will make a real difference for our customers. We have seen great achievements across TPE in the past 12 months in particular, with cancellations reduced by 70% and, thanks to our customers old and new having confidence to travel with us, we have become the second fastest growing train company in the UK.
“We urge customers to check before they travel in case there are any changes to their services.”
For more information about the new timetable, visit TransPennine Express’s website here.