Northern Rail Trains

Northern Rail operates one of the most extensive regional rail networks in the United Kingdom, serving cities, towns and rural communities across the North of England.

As a vital transport provider, Northern connects major urban centres like Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool with smaller destinations across Yorkshire, the North West and North East.

Northern Rail Key Routes and Destinations

Northern Rail serves a total of over 500 stations across its network, with key interchanges at:

• Manchester Piccadilly
• Leeds
• Liverpool Lime Street
• Newcastle Central
• Sheffield

Operating train services across the following three main regions:

North West Routes

• Liverpool to Manchester (via St Helens or Warrington)
• Manchester to Blackpool (via Bolton and Preston)
• Manchester Airport to Barrow/Windermere (via Bolton and Lancaster)
• Leeds to Manchester Victoria (via Bradford and Halifax)

Yorkshire Routes

• Leeds to York (via Harrogate or Selby)
• Leeds to Sheffield (via Wakefield and Barnsley)
• York to Blackpool North (via Leeds and Bradford)
• Sheffield to Hull (via Doncaster and Goole)

North East Routes

• Newcastle to Carlisle (via Hexham)
• Middlesbrough to Whitby (via Nunthorpe)
• Darlington to Bishop Auckland
• Leeds to Newcastle (via York and Durham)

Northern Rail Facilities and Passenger Amenities

Northern operates a mixed fleet of trains, including modern electric and diesel multiple units. The newest additions to the fleet offer significantly improved passenger facilities, including:

Seating and Interior Layout

Class 195 (Diesel) and Class 331 (Electric) trains feature:

• Comfortable 2+2 seating with tables
• Priority seating for disabled passengers
• Spacious luggage racks
• Air conditioning throughout

Whilst Northerns older Sprinter trains (Class 150/156/158) offer:

• Basic but functional seating
• Overhead luggage racks
• Some units have been refurbished with new interiors

All new and refurbished Northern Rail trains offer free WiFi, USB charging points and power sockets at all seats whilst a catering trolley service is offered on some longer distance routes

Bike and Luggage Facilities

• Designated bike spaces (2-4 per train)
• Folding bike policy allows storage in luggage areas
• Luggage racks near doors on all services

Although ticket offices and ticketing machines at most train stations sell Metrolink train tickets, purchasing your Metrolink train ticket online here is by far the simplest, and usually a lot cheaper too.