A WARNING has gone out to rail passengers - including football fans - ahead of planned strike action this weekend.

Transpennine Express (TPE) has asked passengers to plan carefully for travel this Sunday (February 20) with updated guidance for those planning on travelling by train, including those heading to the Leeds United vs Manchester United match.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is taking strike action and an amended timetable will be in place on the day and, with a significant reduction in services, TPE is calling on customers to consider if their journey is necessary and to avoid travel if possible.

Fans heading to the Leeds United vs Manchester United match at Elland Road Stadium should allow plenty of time as services are expected to be much busier than usual. Northern will be operating some trains via their Calder Valley route and on the Leeds to Brighouse-Bradford-Leeds circuit, but these will be far busier than normal and people are advised to check and allow plenty of extra time when making their journey.

On Sunday (February 20) TPE will also operate a limited service on the following routes:

• Manchester – York via Huddersfield and Leeds

• York – Scarborough

• Hull- Leeds - Manchester

• Edinburgh – Carlisle – Preston

• Edinburgh - Newcastle

• Manchester Piccadilly - Sheffield

• Doncaster – Cleethorpes

The RMT has also announced further planned strike action by its  conductors on February 27 and March 6.

Anyone planning to travel during the strikes, should check carefully, right up to the last minute via the TPE website (tpexpress.co.uk), as services may be subject to short notice changes. 

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director for TransPennine Express said: “This will be the second weekend that the RMT has chosen to disrupt people’s journeys, including those heading to events such as the Leeds United vs Manchester United game.

“We are going to do all we can to keep people moving under difficult circumstances but, as with last Sunday, we simply will not be able to operate a timetable that provides a regular service. We will continue to review our strike response timetables and will seek to provide additional services where possible.

“Anyone planning on using the train this Sunday is urged to only do so if they absolutely have to. If your journey is vital, plan and check carefully before travelling and allow plenty of extra time. The trains we are running are likely to be far busier than normal.”

A spokesperson for Northern said: “We will endeavour to absorb the additional passengers however anyone thinking of travelling on these services should prepare for them to be very busy and they may want to consider travelling at alternative times.”

Full details of TPE’s amended timetables can be found via the website – tpexpress.co.uk – or by checking National Rail Enquiries.

To help customers get where they need to be on Sunday, TPE has arranged ticket acceptance with several other train operators. TPE tickets will be accepted on Northern (not between Manchester and Leeds), Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Lumo, LNER (between York and Edinburgh), ScotRail, Hull Trains and Transport for Wales services. Ticket acceptance is also in place for First Bus services in West Yorkshire for customers who may need to use a bus service to complete a rail journey. Some exclusions will apply and full details are available online.