There are scary things about living in 2024, like climate change and the imminent AI apocalypse, but there are also some great things which almost make it all worth it. One such thing is modern transportation, and how easy it is to get from point A to point B these days.
It wasn’t that long ago, in the grand scheme of things, that you’d have to hop on a horse or a carriage to get between cities. Now, you can just get on a train, sit in comfort for an hour or so, and end up exactly where you need to be. And for the residents of Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds, things are about to get a whole lot more convenient.
The number of TransPennine Express (TPE) trains on multiple services from Manchester and Liverpool is set to increase from this Sunday (December 15), resulting in hundreds more much needed seats available in the run up to Christmas. So what journeys exactly will be affected?
The operator will be moving up to two trains per-hour between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria, including adding express journeys with only two stops in between. This will mean that there will be 50 trains running a day between the cities, except on Sundays when services will be slightly reduced.
On top of that, TPE has announced that it is returning to four journeys an hour between Manchester and Leeds, meaning that you’ll only ever have to wait fifteen minutes if you miss your train.
There will also be a new hourly service from Castleford, Normanton and Wakefield to Manchester and York, better connecting the suburbs to nearby cities.
Across the entire line, TPE has said that, ‘there will be an increase in seats for customers of 12 per cent – around 1300 more every day.’ This is part of their commitment to running ‘frequent, dependable, and faster trains to its core routes across the Pennines.’
‘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 customer.’
Make sure to check before you travel from Sunday onwards, as there may be some changes to regular services. Happy travels, Northerners!
Britain by train
Elsewhere in rail news, did you see that these three train operators will be the first to be taken under public ownership? Or that the Telegraph has crowned two British train services the best in the world? Despite that, UK rail fares are now officially the most expensive in all of Europe. But, on the bright side, 12 of Europe’s best train journeys are in the UK and one of the UK’s most beautiful train stations is getting a generational makeover.
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