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Glasgow to Manchester by train
How to travel from Glasgow to Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations in Manchester
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Routes
From Glasgow Central to Manchester Piccadilly
Journey Summary
3hr 16min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Manchester Airport
All trains also call at: Penrith - North Lakes and/or Oxenholme - The Lake District and Preston.
On the usual timetable
These direct trains to Manchester depart from Glasgow in the odd hours
In even hours from 06:00 until 16:00 it's possible to make the journey by taking a train heading to London via Brirmingham, or the daily train to Liverpool and making a connection at Preston into a train on to Manchester
Current timetable:
Monday to Saturday = 3 x trains per day
Sunday = 1 x train per day
Usual timetable (pre-pandemic)
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) as 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 on this route are:
(1 They may not be placed on sale more than 12 weeks ahead
(2) The ticket(s) will be valid for the specific departure you select when making a booking.
(3) 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.
(4) 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.
Deals and offers
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
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 can save time and it is more straightforward.
Though 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.
Though Oxford Road station is not served by trams.
Tickets marked with Oxford Road as a destination will be valid to 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).
(The video was filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction).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.
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