Commuters warned of travel disruption due to strike action

Commuters are being warned to plan ahead and expect disruption to Northern services today due to planned industrial action.

The three day strike started at midnight on Friday July 7 and will continue until midnight on Tuesday July 11. Most Northern services are not expected to run during that time, said Transport for Greater Manchester.

Any that do operate, working to a revised timetable, will be “extremely busy”, commuters are being warned.

There will be no Northern trains before 7am or after 7pm on Monday July 10.

Transport for Greater Manchester, which is helping to co-ordinate the region’s response, is urging people to plan ahead and consider carefully their travel arrangements.

TfGM said it is working to support Northern’s own customer communications effort and has created a special travel information page on its website to help keep Greater Manchester commuters on the move: https://beta.tfgm.com/travel-updates/industrial-action

There will be additional capacity on the Metrolink network and rail passengers with monthly or greater season tickets will be able to use them to travel by tram.

TfGM’s events and operational coordination manager, John Fryer, said: “We are taking action to minimise the disruption to the transport network but we know there will still be problems, particularly on Monday as commuters return to work.

“Our strongest advice is: expect disruption, plan ahead and think about your travel choices now.

“Can you travel at a different time or does your employer allow you to work from home? If you can travel at a quieter time, or in a different way – by bus, tram, bike, foot or a mixture – it can make a massive improvement not just to your journey but to people who simply don’t have a choice.”