How to take a rail journey from Manchester to York

Share this journey with a friend...

Manchester to York by train

The train operator, Trans Pennine Express has provided an enhanced service on its latest timetable, so there are now as least twice as many fast trains to York from Manchester Victoria station, compared to departing from any other of the city's stations.

Routes you can take to go from Manchester to York

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Manchester

Route Information

Option 1: From Manchester Victoria station to York

Station Guides

From the main entrance, ticket counters to the left, trains straight ahead, trams to the right

Manchester Victoria Rail Station Guide

Looking north, the train on the right is waiting at platform 4

York Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

1hr 14min - 1hr 22min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

3 x trains per hour

Is this journey from Manchester to York direct?
Yes.

Is the journey scenic?
Yes, the train will travel across a dramatic landscape across the Pennines between Stalybridge and Huddersfield.

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival in York?

Before 06:45 on Monday to Saturday*
Before 10:00 on Sunday
*= On some dates there are trains which depart from Manchester Piccadilly around 02:40am and 04:30am
Source: National Rail

How easy is it to travel on from the station in York?
York station is conveniently located on the eastern edge of the city centre.

When is the usual approximate latest departure from Manchester Victoria?

Around 23:15 on Monday to Friday*
Around 23:05 on Saturday*
After 00:00 (midnight) on Sunday
*= On some dates there are trains which depart from Manchester Piccadilly around 02:40am and 04:30am

How easy is it to travel to the station in Manchester ?
Manchester Victoria is located on the northern edge of the heart of the city - See the Station Guide above for more info, including the connections by tram; Plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in the area.
Though Manchester Oxford Road is very conveniently located for the western side of the city centre - and up to 2 x trains per hour will depart from that station,

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for this journey option?
Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for this journey option?
12 weeks; See the Ticket Information for more details

What are the child ticket terms for the journey from Manchester to York?
Aged 5 to 15 = 50%; 4 and under = free

Does the ticket for the for this journey option include assigned seats?
Varies according to the type of ticket being booked, but Yes when booking Advance Tickets; See the Ticket Information for more details

Do rail pass users need to book reservations for the journey from Manchester to York?
No

Is catering typically available on the train?
On the Nova 1 trains = Yes; there is a catering trolley in Standard Class and complimentary at seat catering is available in 1st class, which typically includes a full meal service.
On the 185 trains = No

What else is good to know?
See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Travel Information

Final Destination: Newcastle or Redcar (or Saltburn) or Scarborough

All trains also call at: Huddersfield and Leeds

Departing from Manchester

One or two of these hourly services, the trains heading to Redcar, commence their journeys in the station at Manchester Airport and after departure from Piccadilly station they also call at Manchester Oxford Road station

There is a typically also an hourly slower stopping service which departs from Manchester Piccadilly and takes a route through Wakefield, but it has a journey time of around 1hr 45min

The Transpennine route upgrade

The project to transform and electrify the railway between Manchester and York will impact on these services on multiple dates throughout 2025, particularly at weekends.
Though the trains on this route tend to be diverted on to alternative routes which extend journey times, rather than being replaced by bus services.

Details of specific alterations can be looked up on the TransPennine Express website.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

TPE Nova 1 (UK) Train Guide

TPE 185 Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - Yes

Good to Know

The new and rather smart Nova 1 trains are usually used on the trains heading to Newcastle, the 185 trains are typically used on the departures heading for Redcar and Scarborough.

The trains on the Liverpool to Newcastle route often arrive in Victoria station more than 10mins before they are due to depart, so keep the departure time front of mind, if the train is already in the station when you arrive, you may not have to rush to board it.

Looking towards The Pennines from the right-hand side

Most of the scenic highlights are on the right, but this a view on the left

A view from the viaduct which carries the railway into Huddersfield

Passing through Slaithwaite shortly before Huddersfield

The railway which takes the fastest route between Manchester and Leeds crosses The Pennines, so if the weather is playing along, there are inevitably some very nice views to be enjoyed from the train, particularly between Stalybridge and Huddersfield.

Trains operated by multiple companies await departure from King's Cross station

The general guide to rail travel in Britain Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes.

Tickets

Book Early and Save: Yes

Online Bookings Usually Open: from up to 24 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually); TransPennnine Express (TPE) places its ticket on sale sooner than other UK train operating companies.

Saving money:

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets', though the four key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets in usual circumstances on this route are:
(1) The ticket(s) will be valid for the specific departure you select when making a booking.
(2) The ticket(s) cannot either be refunded, if you subsequently change your plans or miss the train due to any circumstances not attributable to the train operator.
(3) They can be exchanged to another departure on this route prior to the departure you have booked - but the price difference with the new ticket (the price will likely have risen since your original booking will need to be paid.
(4) TPE doesn't take Advance tickets off sale until 15 mins prior to departure.

Reservations:

All types of ticket booked at least 15 minutes ahead of travel for TPE trains have complimentary seat reservation.

If you book and Advance ticket(s) you have to travel on the train shown on the reservation, which will be the specific departure you selected when making a booking.
Though on boarding, you won't have to occupy the seat(s) you have been assigned for your ticket to be valid.

If you book Anytime or Off-Peak tickets you will be provided with a reservation(s) on the departure you selected when making a booking, but are able to transfer the reservation to any other valid departure on your travel date.
You can do this by contacting the TPE social media team, or at a station ticket desk.

What is unusual about travelling with TPE is that these reservations can be arranged up to around 15 minutes prior to departure - which is a much shorter time limit than the norm.

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday

Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date, but maintenance work on the route is periodically undertaken at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than 12 weeks ahead and Advance tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the National Rail website - enter TransPennine Express as the operator.

Booking at the station

As TPE doesn't take Advance tickets off sale until 15 mins prior to departure, if you will be booking walk-up tickets at the station try to avoid booking at the last minute.

Offers and deals:

TPE offers a group deal for when groups of 3 - 9 adults are travelling together and Advance tickets are booked online - make sure you see the 'G' symbol which indicates that the discount has been applied.
You can save 33% of the total costs of the tickets and no Railcard is required.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.

Leaving From

Going To

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.

Related Content