Northern - Train ticket booking & savings

Don’t miss the opportunity to secure the best prices for train tickets. Download the Northern app and set up your account today to automatically receive the lowest fare for any train journey across Great Britain.

You’ll also enjoy a 50% discount on your first Advance train ticket purchased through the app!*

Additional advantages

• Zero booking fees.

• Quick and easy ticket purchases.

• Purchase tickets right up to the last moment before departure.

• Access to UK train timetables and live updates.

• Exchange your Advance Tickets for as little as £2.50 on the day of travel.

• Save as much as 65% when you book in advance.

• Get a 25% discount with Duo Tickets when traveling together.

• Automatically discover the best fares for your trips.

• Enjoy faster refunds on season tickets.

• Load your Smart Season Tickets onto your Smart Card in just five minutes.

• Benefit from commuter perks, giveaways, and more.

Why choose The Northern app

BARCODE SEASON TICKETS

A quicker method to purchase and renew Season tickets via the Northern app. Barcode Season tickets can be stored on your mobile device, saving you time compared to making a purchase in person. They provide great value, offering up to 33%* off day tickets.

UK TRAIN TIMETABLE & LIVE TRAIN TIMES

The Northern app ensures you'll never miss a train or wonder about the next one. It provides live train schedules and real-time tracking across the entire National Rail Network, keeping you well-informed.

RESERVE TRAIN SEATS

Ensure you select seats that meet your needs. Through the Northern app, you can quickly and easily reserve your preferred seating options upon purchasing and downloading your train tickets.

RAIL JOURNEY PLANNER

Planning your journey is straightforward with live departure times and platform information available for most stations. We even remember your previous searches to streamline your experience.

The built-in search function

• Input your starting station and your destination.

• Choose the type of ticket you need (single, return, open return, or flexible & season).

• Specify your travel date and time.

• Indicate the number of adult and child travelers.

• Enter any promotional codes you'd like to apply.

After entering this information, the Northern app will find the most affordable train tickets for you.

Don’t forget about the new Northern family ticket, which allows you to travel with your entire family using one ticket. The Northern Family ticket accommodates up to two adults and four children under the age of 15. Simply buy the ticket through our app and you’re ready to go.

FAQS

What is Automated Delay Repay Compensation？

Our new Automatic Delay Repay scheme will notify you to request a compensation payment when you’re delayed for 15 minutes or  more so you can claim compensation with one click of a button from your delay repay account.  It’s all part of our commitment to compensate you fairly in a timely manner.

Our new scheme covers customers who have booked an Advance purchase ticket that restricts your travel to a specific train service through northernrailway.co.uk or the Northern app and we will automatically calculate and notify you of the compensation due. No need to fill in any forms or contact us further – simply login to your delay repay account and accept the claim with one click of a button.

We normally process these repayments within 5 working days of your delay. We will send you an email if you’re eligible and asking you to login into your delay repay account.

What if i don't have a delay repay account with you?

You will need to create an account here. Please make sure you register with the same email address that you use to purchase your tickets with us and to access your online account.  Once you have registered and created your account. 

You can Opt-in for automated delay repay by simply click on automated claims in the menu bar displayed below and then selecting the Opt into ADR button displayed below.  If you have registered delay repay account with us already you will be automatically Opted In for automated delay repay.

I completed my journey via replacement transport but arrived late. Can I claim delay repay?

You can claim compensation for a delay as result of using replacement transport that’s been provided in the following circumstances:

The replacement transport was not an advertised replacement service in advance of travel and you got to your end destination using this transport but were 15 minutes later than originally scheduled. Please clearly state this in the notes section of the claim form when submitting your claim.

The replacement transport was an advertised replacement service but this service arrived 15 minutes later than originally scheduled on the revised timetable. Please clearly state this in the notes section of the claim form when submitting your claim.

We always advise customers who purchase their ticket in advance to check the published timetable prior to 10pm the day before travelling to ensure the travel arrangements have remained the same. Most engineering works are planned and advertised three months in advance but timetables can change as result of other incidents.

I was unable to use my season ticket due to disruption

If you have been unable to travel using your season ticket due to the cancellation of our service you may be entitled to compensation. In order for us to compensate you we need the following information: Details of your planned journey and the reason you were unable to travel; An image of your season ticket or Smartcard number.

What if I incurred additional expenses because of the disruption I experienced?

Where we are at fault we will refund any of your additional expenses including taxis, hotels, parking costs, missed flights etc. in line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015. In order for us to consider these claims you will be required to provide evidence of this to support your claim. You will also need to provide a image of the season ticket or smartcard you used for travel.

News

Northern encourages racegoers to travel by train, with extra services to the Grand National

02 April 2025

Train operator Northern will be helping racegoers gallop to the Grand National festival at Aintree this week, with extra trains running to get customers safely to the races and back home again.

Tens of thousands of racegoers are expected to descend on Liverpool for the annual Grand National festival, which kicks off today (Thursday 3 April). With more than 60,000 people expected to make their way to Aintree on Friday 4 April, and over 70,000 people on Saturday 5, Northern has stepped in to boost capacity across its network.

The train operator has scheduled extra services into Liverpool Lime Street and Ormskirk from towns and cities across the North. From Lime Street, customers can head to Liverpool Central and connect onto Merseyrail for the 15 minute journey to Aintree station. Northern will also have extra staff on hand to help with the anticipated demand. 

On Friday 4 April and Saturday 5 April, extra trains will run between Preston and Ormskirk, where customers can connect with Merseyrail trains to Aintree. Extra Northern trains will run on both Friday and Saturday:

·From Preston to Ormskirk at 0934 and 1134

·From Ormskirk back to Preston at 1918 and 2118

As well as these extra trains, Northern will be strengthening some existing services. There will be extra carriages on some trains to and from Liverpool:

·Wigan North Western to and from Liverpool Lime Street via St Helens Central

·Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport on Saturday evening

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re delighted to be providing some extra horsepower to help get racegoers to the Grand National and safely home again.

“The Grand National is one of the biggest sporting events in our calendar, and we’re working closely with our partners at Merseyrail and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to ensure the event is a success.

“With increased capacity and the extra services that we’ve been able to provide, we’re making it easier than ever for racing fans to enjoy the excitement of the day. Driving to the festival is going to be difficult, so we’re encouraging everybody to back a winner and get home by train!”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

Northern encourages customers to check before they travel ahead of a busy bank holiday weekend

19 May 2025

Train operator Northern is encouraging customers to get out and enjoy events over the bank holiday by train.

Most Northern train services across the North of England will be running as usual over the late May bank holiday. With a host of events taking place over the weekend, trains are expected to be particularly busy in a number of areas, so the operator is asking customers to check before they travel.

Liverpool's Sefton Park will play host to Radio 1's Big Weekend, with the Warrington Neighbourhood Festival also taking place a little further down the road. Liverpool will also host the Liverpool FC Premier League parade on Monday 26 May.

In the North East, the Northumberland County Show takes place on Saturday 24th, with the showground easily accessible by trains on the Tyne Valley line from Stocksfield station.

Engineering improvement works will affect a small number of routes, as follows:

Between Leeds, Manchester Victoria and Chester (24 to 26 May) - trains will start and finish at Manchester Victoria, with buses replacing trains between Chester and Newton-le-Willows for train connections to Manchester

Between Leeds, Manchester Victoria and Wigan via Dewsbury (26 to 30 May) - trains will be diverted, running instead via Bradford Interchange and Halifax

Whilst trains on most routes will be running as normal over the weekend, services may start later or finish earlier, so the operator is advising customers to leave plenty of time to travel and check train times before heading to the station.

Full details of the changes to services over the late May bank holiday can be found on Northern's website. 

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.