Warning to rail passengers over Easter disruptions

Widespread changes to rail services are planned across the region this Easter bank holiday weekend.

Services to Northern, TransPennine Express and parts of the Avanti West Coast lines will be affected, with train operator National Rail conducting "essential" engineering works and upgrades.

The Easter weekend is set to be a busy one as people make the most of the bank holidays - with roads set to be the busiest in four years nationally.

Here is your guide to travelling by train in the north west this bank holiday weekend.

Due to extensive engineering work on the West Coast Main Line between Preston, Lancaster and Oxenholme Lake District, some services in the area will be disrupted across both 4 and 5 April.

The service between Leeds, Lancaster and Morecambe will operate between Leeds and Skipton only.

Replacement buses will operate between Skipton, Carnforth and Morecombe.

Those wishing to travel between Lancaster, Morecombe and Heysham Port will also have to do so by bus.

Oxenholme Lake District - Windermere trains will not run, whilst the Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness will stop at only Lancaster and Grange-over-Sands.

Several late night services to and from Manchester Piccadilly will be changed, or served by a replacement bus entirely.

Over the Easter weekend, lines are closed in both directions between Preston and Oxenholme Lake District.

Routes between Manchester Airport, Liverpool Lime Street and Preston will run on an amended timetable.

On Easter Monday, some late night services coming into Manchester Piccadilly will instead end at Manchester Victoria, and visa versa.

If you're planning a trip to London this Easter weekend, you may wish to take a look at the timetables before you travel.

That is because the Avanti service between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central will not run in either direction from 3 to 8 April.

Those wishing to travel back up to northern terminals such as Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street will have to make their way to Milton Keynes Central to board.

Avanti lines are closed between Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western, along with Preston and Oxenholme Lake District on 5 April.

A once every two hour train service will run non-stop between Preston and Carlisle on the same day.

All Merseyrail routes will run as normal across the Easter weekend.

Pre-bought tickets for all the above services are acceptable on replacement buses throughout the region.

Manchester's tram network has also announced they will be upgrading tracks, with it impacting lines until Easter Monday.

As a result, no trams will operate on the Eccles, Trafford Centre or Altrincham lines until then.

Whilst services running between East Didsbury to Manchester Airport will terminate at Firswood and the Rochdale line will end at Exchange Square, in the city centre.

Transport for Greater Manchester said the planned works will impact the Bury line, in both directions, too.

Normal service will resume on 7 April across Manchester's tram network.

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