What the change to rail timetables means for Greater Manchester commuters

It's all change on the railways from Sunday as new national timetables come into force.

And after a year of strikes and loud criticism of train services across the north, all eyes will be on Greater Manchester to monitor what the impact is.

Avanti West Coast, which operates trains between Manchester and London, announced in October it would be cutting the number of services it operates because of staff shortages. That will include only running two trains an hour between London and Manchester on Saturdays in December.

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National Rail said the UK timetable is changed twice a year. The current timetable started on May 21 and operates until Saturday, December 9. The new timetable starts on Sunday and will operate until June next year. Commuters are being urged to always check the websites of train operating companies before they travel.

For Avanti West Coast services, which operates between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, with a stop at Stockport, there will be 'no major changes', said Network Rail.

"There are a few minor alterations to some services, including some additional trains running in the busiest hours on the Birmingham route, providing more journey opportunities," it added.

The West Coast Partnership Development, meanwhile, said that in terms of the December timetable, there's no changes to the Manchester route, apart from a few extra stops in services at weekends. On weekdays, 47 services in each direction between Manchester and London are scheduled to run.

Northern, meanwhile has announced a number of changes to its timetable, with certain services