You’ll find Northern Trains all over the North of England. They run services as far north as Northumberland, and as far south as Crewe and Nottingham. They have a fleet of 345 trains and serve 474 stations.
Northern Trains is usually the ‘slowest’ operator on the routes that they share with other companies. This means that it’s very common for them to offer cheap ‘Advance‘ tickets for their trains right up to the very last minute.
You’ll find this on routes such as Sheffield to Manchester, York to Leeds and Leeds to Manchester. Here’s an example of travelling from York to Manchester a week in advance:
Put simply, it’s always worth looking out for a bargain on the Railsmartr site, even if it’s a matter of minutes before your train leaves. Just make sure you have your ticket before you board!
On board services
Northern has an extremely diverse fleet of trains. At a minimum, they all have overhead luggage space. Many trains in their fleet also have larger luggage stacks at the carriage ends.
You won’t find any catering on Northern services. Make sure you visit a shop before you board!
All Northern services have free WiFi on board.
It’s possible to bring a non-folding bike on a Northern train without any time restrictions. Just remember that it’s on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s more information in our dedicated guide to travelling with bikes.