I'd urge customers to check their journeys in advance as there will be some significant changes

Northern says the update is part of the national timetable change, which takes place each May and December. Many of next weekend’s changes contribute to wider rail network improvements, with some regions – particularly the North East – set to benefit from new routes, faster journeys and revised train times intended to make services easier to use and more reliable.

There will also be various alterations while engineering work is carried out over Christmas and New Year, including a closure of the line between Leeds and York from Christmas until late January as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

To help passengers prepare, several journey planning tools are available, including Northern’s timetable check tool, the Northern app for real-time updates and ticket purchases, and the National Rail Enquiries journey planner.

Matt Rice, Chief Operating Officer for Northern, said: "The upcoming timetable changes reflect our focus on improving connectivity, strengthening reliability and offering more convenient services across the North of England.

“We are pleased to be able to offer later trains in the evening following customer feedback on some of our routes, and extra trains during peak times on others. I'd urge customers to check their journeys in advance as there will be some significant changes in place, and particularly during the December engineering period.”

Full details of the timetable update are available on Northern’s website. Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, running 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the region.