Travel warning on trains heading from Stoke to Manchester today as services cancelled

Under-fire rail operator Northern has warned passengers not to travel between Stoke and Manchester today after months of disruption at weekends. Those travelling between the two cities are being told to expect ‘high numbers of cancellations’ on Sunday, December 1 due to staff shortages.

Instead there will be replacement bus services on a number of routes across the North West, including between the Potteries and Stockport with 'journeys longer and less frequent'.

A statement on the Northern website reads: "Recently, we have seen higher levels of cancellations in the North West and for that we are sorry. The underlying reason is train crew availability, in particular on Sundays which is contractually outside of the working week.

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"We encourage everyone to plan ahead and check journeys before travelling for the latest information and train times."

Northern services have consistently been disrupted on Sundays as the day falls outside of contracted working hours. As part of plans to improve its service, the company has offered conductors a new deal to work on Sunday, which the RMT union said it would consult its members on. Northern was renationalised in March, 2020, when it's franchise was taken into public ownership.

The full list of services affected on Sunday:

• Southport – Manchester Victoria

• Wigan - Liverpool (via St Helens Central)

• Morecambe - Lancaster

• Stockport – Stoke-on-Trent

• Blackpool South - Preston

• Windermere - Oxenholme

• Altrincham - Chester

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