EXTRA trains will run between Manchester and Liverpool calling only at Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows stations from next month.

TransPennine Express has announced increases to services from December.

Services will increase to two trains every hour between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria, providing express journeys with minimal stops, calling only at Newton-le-Willows or Lea Green alternately. 

More TPE services will run between Manchester and Liverpool, calling at Lea Green or Newton-le-WillowsMore TPE services will run between Manchester and Liverpool, calling at Lea Green or Newton-le-Willows (Image: St Helens Star)

Other TPE changes 

Elsewhere, TPE is set to once again run four trains an hour between Manchester and Leeds, bringing frequent, dependable, and faster trains to its core routes across the Pennines. 

Customers will see hundreds more seats on trains and services running every 15 minutes on this route from December, as the operator restores services while continuing to run a timetable customers can depend on. 

Every day, 50 trains will run each way, every day, between Liverpool and Manchester stations. (Monday to Saturday, with fewer services on Sundays). 

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And TPE Nova 1 trains travelling between Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria will now switch from diesel to electric mode thanks to successful electrification in the area, lowering the train operator’s carbon impact. 

The change comes as train operators across the UK switch to a new timetable on Sunday 15 December. 

Across the TPE network, there will be an increase in seats for customers of 12 per cent – around 1,300 more every day.  

Other major changes include:  

  • 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. 
  • TPE will stop at Eaglescliffe for the first time, providing an hourly service. 
  • Chester-le-Street will now receive hourly calls 
  • More evening services connecting Manchester and Oxenholme, calling at Bolton, Preston and Lancaster 
  • 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 

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 individual services, customers should use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on TPE’s website. 

For more information about the new timetable, visit https://tpexpress.co.uk/timetablechange