Do you need to catch a train over Christmas and new year?

Rail bosses have warned passengers to expect ‘pain’ around the festive season due to the work surrounding the Ordsall Chord, a 300m stretch of new track in Manchester.

Route changes through Manchester are described as ‘complex’ by rail bosses, and could lead to headaches for anyone travelling from Macclesfield and through Manchester.

Bosses are warning passengers to check before they travel between now and January 2.

And you should keep checking right up to your travel date – as things could change again at the last minute. Parts of many routes have been replaced by coaches.

Oxford Road and Deansgate stations will be closed on December 27 and 31 and again on January 1 and 2. All stations will be closed to train services on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as usual.

Trains between Manchester and Liverpool and Scotland will take a particular pounding.

Here are five examples:

  • From December 22 - 24: Northern Rail there will be no trains between Liverpool and Manchester Airport with all services ending at Eccles.
  • From December 27- 31: TransPennine won’t run services between Liverpool and Piccadilly, with coaches running the route instead.
  • On December 18, 22, 23, 24, 28 and 30: There will be reduced TransPennine services to Manchester Victoria.
  • From December 22-24: TPE’s Glasgow to Manchester services will stop at Preston with a replacement coach
  • On January 1 there will be no services between Edinburgh and Manchester

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “While I recognise the short-term pain of timetable impacts, I would urge people to keep sight of the long-term gain the Ordsall Chord scheme will bring them.”

LOCAL TRAIN SERVICES:

CHRISTMAS EVE

Normal Saturday service. Trains will stop running from 7pm onwards. Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

CHRISTMAS DAY

No service.

BOXING DAY

No service.

Tuesday December 27 - Christmas Bank Holiday

Normal weekday service excluding some early morning trains. Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday, December 30

Normal weekday service excluding some early morning trains.

Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Normal Saturday service excluding some early morning trains.

Some trains will stop running from 7pm onwards. Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

NEW YEAR’S DAY

Normal Sunday service excluding some early morning trains.

Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

January 2, New Year Bank Holiday

Normal weekday service excluding some early morning trains. Services are also affected by changes due to Ordsall Chord engineering works.

January 3 onwards

Normal service.