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Edinburgh to Manchester by train
How to travel from Edinburgh to Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations in Manchester
Pre-pandemic the train operator TransPennine Express had been offering trains on two different routes from Edinburgh to Manchester:
1: Faster services via the West Cost railway, which arrived at Manchester's Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations.
2: Slower, but more frequent services which travelled on the East Coast railway and arrived at Manchester Victoria station.
However, the service on this second route has been suspended on the temporary revised timetable.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the faster route
Journey Summary
3hr 12min
Daily
Travel Information
TransPennine Express (TPE) now operates trains on two different routes between Edinburgh and Manchester
(1) The trains on this route via Preston are faster, but less frequent, as they are usually scheduled to depart every other hour.
In Manchester these trains arrive at Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations - and they travel beyond the city centre to arrive at Manchester Airport.
(2) The alternative currently suspended trains which usually depart hourly are slower, because the route taken via Newcastle and Leeds is longer.
However, in Manchester they use a different station to the trains on this route, as they call at Manchester Victoria.
Final Destination: Manchester Airport
All trains also call at: Penrith - North Lakes; Oxenholme - The Lake District and Preston.
1 x train every other 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 three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets 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.
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
If you will be booking at the station less than a couple of hours prior to departure, you will have to purchase non-discounted Off-Peak or Anytime tickets , with Anytime tickets being the most expensive of all.
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 | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Departing from Edinburgh
If the starting point of your journey is at the western end of the city centre, you can save time by heading to Edinburgh Haymarket station rather than Edinburgh Waverley, in order to board these trains.
The trains on the alternative route only depart from Edinburgh Waverley station.
Arriving in Manchester
It can be worth looking up the location of your final destination in Manchester before booking a journey; these trains arrive at stations to the south of the city centre, but the trains on the alternative route arrive at the station to its north.
If you'll be ultimately heading to the area around Oxford Road or Piccadilly stations, or will be happy to take a taxi, then taking the trains on this route become a logical choice; you'll get to your final destination faster.
Similarly if your end destination is adjacent to Victoria station, then the balance tips towards taking those trains on the currently suspended alternative route, as they arrive at that station.
The journey time to Manchester on that alternative route will be 35 - 40 minutes longer, but walking to Victoria from Oxford Road will take 20 - 30 minutes; and the transfer by tram from Piccadilly to Victoria will typically take 15 - 20 mins.
If you'll be happy to walk into the city centre, leave these trains at Oxford Road station.
It's the first station in the city that these trains will call at and exiting Oxford Road station will take under a minute; these trains will arrive on a platform (track) which is adjacent to the main station building.
In contrast, at Piccadilly station, these trains use a part of the station which is at the opposite end of the building to its main exit.
So when walking to the city centre alighting at Oxford Road will save time and is more straightforward.
If you will be taking a tram on to a destination outside the city centre the tram routes from Piccaddilly station go to Etihad Campus and Media City, but Victoria station has direct trams to Chorlton and Bury.
The trams don't serve Oxford Road station.
Making a connection between tram routes at the city centre stops is straightforward, but the transfer to the trams is easier and quicker at Victoria station than it is at Piccadilly station.
For the majority of this journey the train will travel through a majestic landscape.
South of Carstairs the railway follows a route through the beautiful Southern Uplands.
Before the train has passed through Lockerbie station, the views as the railway climbs and then descends over Beattock summit, are particularly special.
Between Carlisle and Lancaster the railway takes a route between The Lake District to the west and the Pennines to the east;so there are great views to be enjoyed from both sides of the train towards distant mountains.
Approximately 10 minutes north of Oxenholme comes one of the highlights of the journey when the railway travels through the Lune Gorge - though here the best views are from the left (when facing the direction of travel).
A beautiful landmark to look out for on the left, just after the train enters the gorge, is the spectacular sight of Low Gill Viaduct, on a now abandoned railway.
Around five minutes north of Lancaster, the West Coast Main Line, briefly lives up to its name with a fleeting glimpse of Morecambe Bay, the only sea view on the journey.
Option 2: the more frequent route (currently suspended)
Journey Summary
3hr 48min
Daily
Travel Information
TransPennine Express (TPE) now operates trains on two different routes between Edinburgh and Manchester
(1) These trains which usually depart hourly are slower, because the route taken via Newcastle and Leeds is longer.
In Manchester they arrive at Victoria station.
(2) The trains on the alternative route via Preston are faster, but less frequent, as they are usually scheduled to depart every other hour.
In Manchester those trains arrive at Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations; and they travel beyond the city centre to arrive at Manchester Airport.
Final Destination: Liverpool Lime Street
All trains also call at: Leeds and Huddersfield
1 x train 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 three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets 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.
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
If you will be booking at the station less than a couple of hours prior to departure, you will have to purchase non-discounted Off-Peak or Anytime tickets - with Anytime tickets being the most expensive of all.
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 | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Arriving in Manchester
It can be worth looking up the location of your final destination in Manchester before booking a journey - these trains arrive at a station to the north of the city centre, but the trains on the alternative route arrive at stations on the opposite side of the city.
If you'll be ultimately heading to the area around Oxford Road or Piccadilly stations, or will be happy to take a taxi, then taking the trains on that other route becomes a logical choice; you'll get to your final destination faster.
However, if your end destination is adjacent to Victoria station, then the balance tips towards taking these trains as they arrive at that station.
The journey time to Manchester on this route via Leeds will be 35 - 40 minutes longer than taking those alternative trains, but walking to Victoria from Oxford Road will take 20 - 30 minutes; and the transfer by tram from Piccadilly to Victoria will typically take 15 - 20 mins.
At Piccadilly station those other trains from Edinburgh use a part of the station which is at the opposite end of the building to its main exit, but at Victoria station, these trains usually arrive at an area of the station, which is just steps away from its concourse and exits.
If you will be taking a tram on to a destination outside the city centre the tram routes from Piccadilly station go to Etihad Campus and Media City, but Victoria station has direct trams to Chorlton and Bury.
The trams don't serve Oxford Road station.
Making a connection between tram routes at the city centre stops is straightforward, but the transfer to the trams is easier and quicker at Victoria station than it is at Piccadilly station
This is a journey with five distinct phases - most of which have multiple highlights.
(1) Most of the journey between Edinburgh and Alnmouth is beside the coast
The sea views kick in before the train has even left Edinburgh behind; and they initially continue until south of Dunbar.
To the north of Berwick-upon-Tweed the train will travel across the clifftops as it crosses the border into England - these are the most dramatic coastal views on the journey (though they are tricky to photograph).
Minutes after the train has passed through Berwick-upon-Tweed, the next highlight is the view from the majestic Royal Border Bridge.
Between there and Alnmouth there are views on the left over the dramatic Northumberland coast.
(2) Between Alnmouth and Darlington the railway snakes its way through the towns and cities of north-east England, and just before Newcastle station on the left there are views of the city's iconic Tyne Bridge
The next highlight of the journey is the passage over the River Tyne, as the train departs from Newcastle Central station and heads over the King Edward VII Bridge.
Looking to the left, five other bridges that span the river can be seen.
Around 15 mins after leaving Newcastle comes the final highlight of the journey - the stunning views over the city of Durham.
Over on the left before and after the station, the town's stunning castle and cathedral can be clearly seen in all their glory.
(3) The train will attain the highest speeds of the journey as it races across the flat landscape between Darlington and York.
(4) From York to Huddersfield the train will pass through a series of towns and the city of Leeds
(5) West of Huddersfield the railway travels through the Pennine hills and there are some occasional views over the dramatic landscape from both sides of the train.
If when you board, you discover that your assigned seat(s) are on the right-hand side of the train, when facing the direction of travel, see if you can find available seats on the left of the train.
If you move to a different seat(s) it won't affect the validity of your ticket.
The sea views on this journey are on the left.
If your ticket(s) don't include reserved seats, then try to choose seats on the left; when facing the direction of travel.
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