Extreme heat brings rail disruption across North West
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Rail passengers across the North West are being urged to plan ahead as extreme heat forces changes to train services during the latest summer heatwave.
Operator Northern said reduced timetables would be introduced on several routes, including services serving Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
The Met Office has issued a rare amber warning for extreme heat across parts of England from 09:00 to 23:59 BST on Thursday. Temperatures in the North West are expected to reach 33C.
Northern has advised passengers to check their journey before travelling, carry plenty of water and allow additional time.
The operator said timetable changes would affect services across Greater Manchester, the North West and Yorkshire, with the measures intended to reduce the risk of cancellations and disruption.
Extreme temperatures can affect both trains and railway infrastructure. On some routes, trains will have to travel at reduced speeds.
Northern said removing some services from the timetable in advance would make it le
ss likely that trains would become caught up in wider disruption or be cancelled because of heat-related failures.
The operator said efforts had been made to minimise the impact on passengers. At Alderley Edge, for example, services will be reduced but the station will continue to receive two trains an hour.
Services affected
Northern has announced reduced timetables on the following routes:
Rochdale to Blackburn
Southport to Wigan and Manchester Oxford Road
Alderley Edge to Manchester Piccadilly
Hazel Grove and Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly
Rose Hill and Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly
Leeds to Rochdale, between 10:12 and 16:34 BST
Leeds to York via Harrogate, between 10:45 and 15:45 BST
The Yorkshire Flyer fast service between Leeds and Sheffield will also be suspended until the 16:52 service from Sheffield to Leeds and the 17:45 service from Leeds to Sheffield.
Northern said its stopping service would continue to run throughout the day.
A full timetable will remain in place between Scarborough and Hull on the Scarborough-Sheffield route via Hull. However, services between Hull and Doncaster and Sheffield will be reduced.
Separately, no trains will operate between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria because of planned engineering work.
Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express have also been contacted for comment.
