During the forthcoming early May bank holiday weekend from Saturday, 30th April until Monday, 2nd May, Northern is advising passengers to check ahead as essential engineering work is being carried out across the Northern network.

This will cause disruption to a number of its services as some trains will be cancelled, with rail-replacement buses running instead.

Customers intending to travel over the bank holiday weekend should check before they travel and be flexible with their journeys. Trains that do run are expected to be very busy.

Engineering work on some routes in the North East, Cheshire, Manchester, and Cumbria will see some trains replaced by buses, meaning longer travel times on the following routes:

Saturday, 30th April

Buses will replace trains between:

• Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool
• Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Guide Bridge for connections to and from Manchester Piccadilly.
• There will be no buses between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne.

Sunday, 1st May

Buses will replace trains between:

• Carlisle and Maryport
• Newcastle, Sunderland and Hartlepool
• Manchester Victoria, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge
• Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent.

Monday, 2nd May

Buses will replace trains between:

• Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent. Passengers should use alternative train services between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport
• Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge for connections to and from Manchester Piccadilly.
• There will be no buses between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne

For full details of Northern’s timetables, and the planned engineering work visit http://northernrailway.co.uk. Train times can also be checked via National Rail Enquiries.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We know the bank holiday provides a great opportunity for people to get out, explore and enjoy all the North of England has to offer.

“We’re doing all we can to prepare for the weekend and are also asking our customers to plan ahead, expect services to be busy, allow extra time for journeys and, where possible, to avoid travelling during the busiest times.”