Train services will be hit by another round of strikes this weekend, affecting travel across Greater Manchester.
It comes as people all across the country are expected to travel to Liverpool to watch the Eurovision Grand Final on Saturday, May 13. Members of Aslef, as well as the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union at 12 different train operators, will stage a walkout on Friday, May 12, and Saturday due to a long-running dispute.
The walk-out is expected to cause disruption for travellers wanting to attend the Eurovision Song Contest, with many operators running on an amended timetable. For Greater Manchester passengers, this means many trains expected to run through Picadilly Station will be affected.
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Here's a rundown of how services going through Manchester will be affected by the upcoming strikes.
Avanti West Coast
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: Fewer trains than normal will run and only between 7am and 7pm, with the exception of some services to and from Liverpool which is hosting the Eurovision song contest.
Avanti posted a message on its website for people travelling to Liverpool for Eurovision. It said: "We’ll be operating our usual hourly service between Euston and Liverpool on Saturday 13 May. Due to strike action by the RMT, our services will finish earlier than usual on Saturday 13 May – the first train will leave London Euston at 06:08 and the last train will depart at 16:31, arriving in Liverpool for 19:04. On Friday 12 May we will not be running any services due to strike action by ASLEF. Please plan ahead and check before you travel."
It added: "Please check your journey before arriving at our stations, as our timetable will change significantly and fewer trains will run on strike dates, so your entire journey may be severely disrupted."
You can check service information on the Avanti website here.
CrossCountry
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: No direct services will run to or from Birmingham New Street and locations such as Aberdeen, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, Nottingham and Stansted Airport. Services that do run will only operate between 7am and 7pm.
The Birmingham to Manchester service will run one train per hour, with the first at 8.01am and the last at 4.01pm, while the return services will run from 8.25am to 4.25pm on each hour.
A statement from CrossCountry said: "No CrossCountry services will be in operation on Friday 12 May. A revised timetable will be in operation on Saturday 13 May, please check journey planners for further information. Customers are advised to plan ahead and check their entire journey before they travel."
It added that anyone with a ticket for travel dated Friday, May 12, or Saturday, May 13, will be able to use it for travel on Thursday, May 11, or up to and including Tuesday, May 16.
Merseyrail
Friday and Saturday: No impact from the strikes. Additional services will run due to Eurovision.
Merseyrail said it will be putting in place special Eurovision timetable arrangements, including late night trains for the Eurovision final on Saturday. A statement on the website said: "Special plans will be in place throughout the Eurovision Song Contest week, to ensure the safety of all passengers every day. This means that on some days city centre stations will close at certain times to help manage the large number of people expected to attend the events."
On Friday, James Street station will be closed from 8pm, and on Saturday, Liverpool Lime Street low level station and James Street station will be closed all day.
Merseyrail added: "Whether travelling to enjoy Eurovision, commuting to work, or taking the family for a day trip, passengers are asked to think ahead, plan journeys by checking timetables before and on the day of travel, and to leave more time for their journey as there may be queues and short notice changes to services."
You can find out more on the Merseyrail website here.
Northern
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 8am and 5pm. Only a handful of routes will be open, such as between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester; Leeds and York; and Darlington and Saltburn.
Northern said: "There will be very limited Northern services on Saturday 13 May. Some Northern stations will have no service, trains that run will be busy and finish earlier – plan ahead."
It added: "We advise checking journey planners if you choose to travel on days affected by industrial action, particularly in the morning and the last service of the day. Please also check journeys the day after strikes as some services may be affected. Remember to check your entire journey as services across the country may be affected."
TransPennine Express
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A reduced timetable will operate and customers are advised to only travel if essential
TransPennine Express said on its website: "This latest round of strike action is going to cause significant disruption to rail services across the country. We are aware that this industrial action coincides with important events in the North of England – most notably the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool – and we will do all we can to keep you informed about the impact on our services. We apologise for any impact this industrial action has on your journey.
"Disruption is also likely on days following strike action and you are advised to plan carefully for any rail journeys as services will start later and finish earlier than usual."
TransPennine Express will be running a limited service between the following destinations in both directions:
- Twelve services between Liverpool Lime Street and Huddersfield via Manchester Piccadilly (six fast services, six local services)
- Five services between Liverpool Lime Street and Preston
- Four services between Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield via Manchester Piccadilly
- Four services between Sheffield and Cleethorpes
Transport for Wales
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: Transport for Wales is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but some of its services will be disrupted. Several stations such as Birmingham International, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly will only be open for services between 7am and 7pm.
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