Northern train services across the North West of England are facing disruption today, 13 August 2026, as extreme heat affects rail operations. The operator has confirmed that fewer trains will run on a number of routes, including some services to and from Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat, covering parts of England between 09:00 and 23:59 BST today, with temperatures in the North West expected to reach 33C. Northern stated that timetable changes are necessary to reduce potential disruption and provide stability, as both rolling stock and infrastructure could be impacted by the high temperatures.
Affected Northern services with reduced timetables include Rochdale to Blackburn, Southport to Wigan/Manchester Oxford Road, Alderley Edge to Manchester Piccadilly, Hazel Grove/Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly, and Rose Hill and Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly. Services between Leeds and Rochdale (10:12 to 16:34 BST) and Leeds to York via Harrogate (10:45 to 15:45) will also operate with reduced timetables. The Yorkshire Flyer fast service between Leeds and Sheffield will not run until the 16:52 from Sheffield to Leeds and the 17:45 from Leeds to Sheffield.
While a full timetable will run between Scarborough and Hull on the Scarborough to Sheffield via Hull route, services between Hull and Doncaster/Sheffield will be reduced. Additionally, no trains will operate between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria due to planned engineering work.