The Minster's stunning interior is a highlight of any visit to York

Manchester to York by train

How to take a rail journey from Manchester to York

When the usual TransPennine Express timetable is operating there will be two options available for taking a train from Manchester to Newcastle.
(1) The faster and more frequent services which use Manchester Victoria station
(2) A newer service of slightly slower train from Manchester Piccadilly station.
There is also typically a third hourly service which calls at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road stations, prior to departing from Manchester Victoria.
So this other service is obviously the best option if your journey will be commencing in the area around Oxford Road station.

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Routes

Option 1: From Manchester Victoria station to York

Travel Information

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

All trains also call at: Huddersfield and Leeds

One 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

3 x trains per hour

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.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
TPE *

TPE Guide

TPE offers three unconventional means of booking and using tickets for travel by the trains it operates:

  • Advance tickets can be booked online up to 15 mins before departure
  • Seats are assigned on TPE trains when booking up to an hour prior to departure
  • There is no charge for transferring Advance tickets to an alternative departure, on the route originally booked.
National Rail *

National Rail Guide

In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.

The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.

On this journey

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.

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 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 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 A view from the viaduct which carries the railway into Huddersfield
Passing through Slaithwaite shortly before 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.

Option 2: From Manchester Piccadilly to York

Travel Information

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

All trains also call at: Huddersfield and Leeds

2 x trains per hour

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.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
TPE *

TPE Guide

TPE offers three unconventional means of booking and using tickets for travel by the trains it operates:

  • Advance tickets can be booked online up to 15 mins before departure
  • Seats are assigned on TPE trains when booking up to an hour prior to departure
  • There is no charge for transferring Advance tickets to an alternative departure, on the route originally booked.

On this journey

Journey Features

Landscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

TransPennine Express has introduced an additional new hourly service of trains from Manchester Piccadilly to York, they will be heading on to Newcastle or Scarborough.
These trains commence their journeys at Manchester Piccadilly, so they use the platforms in the station they are right by the main concourse. so offer easy step-free access to these trains.
Though they are slightly slower than the trains that depart from Manchester Victoria, because they make additional station calls between Manchester and Leeds.

Other trains, which will be header to Redcar or Saltburn, typically leave Manchester Piccadilly around 28min later, but they use platform 14 in the station, which is some distance from the main concourse.
They are also around five minutes slower.

Once these trains from Piccadilly station pass Stalybridge on the outskirts of Manchester they follow the same route to York.

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