Rail travel

Getting around Yorkshire by train

Yorkshire is well-connected by train services, easing visits across many parts of the region as well as making Yorkshire a great centre for exploring other parts of Britain.

Eight different passenger train operators run on the rail network in Yorkshire (see below), although a common ticketing system operates through National Rail, run by the Association of Train Operating Companies.

National Rail also runs a rail enquiry service and journey planning website covering all its companies' services. A link to this is provided at the foot of the page.

Some operators are now requiring travellers to have a seat reservation and a ticket specific to their service, reducing opportunity for travel flexibility.

Where do trains run in Yorkshire? See our interactive  Rail map  of Yorkshire.

Which are Yorkshire's busiest railway stations? See our  Railway stations  page.

Which places in Yorkshire might have saved time with HS2? Archived from 2020:  The HS2 Effect  page.

The Yorkshire region also has a splendid selection of preserved and steam railways. These are not only great for those delighted by a bit of nostalgia, but can be quite useful transport for days out to some of the most scenic parts of Yorkshire which might otherwise lack regular public transport. For more details see our  Heritage railways  page.

Rail work disrupts Leeds - York trains for three more weeks

Work on Mirfield station improvements was carried out just before ChristmasA huge amount of railway engineering work on the TransPennine Route Upgrade over the festive period continues into the new year.

The current phase of work at  Church Fenton  will continue until January 25 affecting travel between Leeds and York.

Work has been going on there since Christmas also affecting travel between Leeds and Selby in its early stages, but the line serving stations between Leeds and Selby has since been reopened. There are also further improvements to diversionary arrangements between Leeds and York from this Sunday (January 4), when there will also be the resumption of trains via Wakefield Kirkgate into York and trains from Sheffield via Pontefract into York.

A huge amount of work has been carried out over the Christmas period, including the first bridge sections being put in place on the new viaduct across the River Calder at  Ravensthorpe  in West Yorkshire, where the station is now closed until a new one is completed. The line through  Mirfield  station, about 1½ miles away, was closed just before Christmas, but the station is open again as work on new station platforms and bridge near completion.

Main disruptions affecting travel in Yorkshire this week are listed below, but this is not a totally comprehensive list, some additional overnight and early hours services may also be affected and services may also be hit by other work taking place in other parts of the country. Passengers are urged to check their planned journey is operating before and on the day of travel.

Saturday January 3

• Engineering between  Leeds  and  Church Fenton  affecting Leeds-York services with diversions and bus replacements but Leeds-Selby trains operating.
Cross Country trains will operate via Doncaster and not call at  Wakefield  Westgate or Leeds.
• Normal service on most other routes.

Sunday January 4 to Sunday January 25

• Engineering between  Leeds  and  Church Fenton  affecting Leeds-York services with diversions and bus replacements.
Leeds-Selby trains operating, including Northern services to stops between Leeds and Selby and also TransPennine Express Liverpool-Hull service.
Leeds-York TransPennine Express services operating to altered timetable of Manchester Airport - Newcastle and Manchester Victoria - Redcar routes on diversion through Castleford.
Manchester Piccadilly - Huddersfield - Wakefield - Castleford - York and Sheffield - Pontefract - York services back to full route.
Replacement bus Micklefield-York.
Cross Country trains will operate via Doncaster and not call at  Wakefield  Westgate or Leeds.
• Normal service on most other routes.

  Rail     Rail map   

Rail operators in Yorkshire

Cross Country

Britain's longest rail journeys cross Yorkshire with trains from Aberdeen or Glasgow and Edinburgh to Plymouth with one journey from Edinburgh also continuing beyond Plymouth to Penzance. Cross Country also runs services from Newcastle to Reading.

Routes across Yorkshire towards the South West head from  York  via  Leeds  and  Wakefield  Westgate to  Sheffield  while trains towards Reading generally take a route from  York  via  Doncaster  to  Sheffield .

The services do not call at North Yorkshire stations between Darlington and York. Trains head south from Sheffield through Derby, Birmingham and Bristol towards Plymouth.

Cross Country is part of Arriva - a Sunderland-based private company bought out of German state-owned Deutsche Bahn in 2024.

East Midlands Railway

Regular services operate between  Sheffield  and London St Pancras via Chesterfield, Derby and Leicester. Services also operate between Liverpool and Manchester via  Sheffield  to Nottingham and Norwich. A few trains a day also run to  Doncaster  from Peterborough via Lincoln.

East Midlands Railway is part of Transport UK - a London-based private company which in 2023 bought out the UK subsidiaries of Dutch state-owned Abellio.

Grand Central


Two routes connect Yorkshire with London King's Cross. One route from West Yorkshire is  Bradford  Interchange - Low Moor -  Halifax  -  Brighouse  -  Mirfield  -  Wakefield  Kirkgate -  Pontefract  Monkhill -  Doncaster  to London. The other route is from Sunderland, Hartlepool and Eaglescliffe in the North East calling at Yorkshire stations  Northallerton  -  Thirsk  -  York  on the way to London.

Grand Central was Britain's highest-rated rail company for overall satisfaction with journey in the Spring 2020 Transport Focus National Rail Passenger Survey with a score of 95%.

Grand Central is part of Arriva - a Sunderland-based private company bought out of German state-owned Deutsche Bahn in 2024.

Hull Trains

Several trains a day operate to London King's Cross on the  Hull  -  Brough  -  Howden  -  Selby  -  Doncaster  route in Yorkshire, continuing via Retford and Grantham on the East Coast Main Line. Two weekday journeys a day each way, one at weekends and some bank holidays, are extended from Hull to  Cottingham  and  Beverley  in East Yorkshire.

Hull Trains is part of First Group, a public limited company based in Scotland.

The first new Azuma train in passenger service at Leeds

London North Eastern Railway

London North Eastern Railway Ltd (LNER) operates services south from Yorkshire to London King's Cross station via the East Coast Main Line. Yorkshire stations served by regular trains are  Northallerton ,  York ,  Leeds ,  Wakefield  Westgate and  Doncaster . There are a few trains a day at  Horsforth  and  Harrogate ,  Bradford  Foster Square and  Shipley , and daily services from  Hull ,  Brough ,  Selby , and  Skipton ,  Keighley .

Heading south there are trains stopping at Retford, Newark North Gate, Grantham, Peterborough and Stevenage.

Heading north from Yorkshire there are regular services from  Doncaster ,  York  and  Northallerton . Northern destinations include Darlington, Durham and Newcastle, and stations to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

London North Eastern Railway Ltd is a publicly-owned company set up by the UK Government's Department for Transport.

Lumo

Lumo, launched in 2021, operates on the East Coast Main Line through Yorkshire on journeys between Edinburgh and London. While passengers get the chance to enjoy the Yorkshire scenery as they pass through they unfortunately don't get the chance to get off a Lumo train anywhere in our region.

Lumo is operated by First Group, a public limited company based in Scotland.

Northern

Northern operates regular local services stopping at all National Rail stations and halts across Yorkshire and the north of England.

Northern is operated by Northern Trains Ltd, a company run by the UK Government's Department for Transport

Transpennine Express

Regional express trains are operated regularly from Liverpool, Manchester Airport and Manchester stations across Yorkshire to the Yorkshire coast, North East England and North Lincolnshire.

Yorkshire stations served include  Brough ,  Castleford ,  Dewsbury ,  Doncaster ,  Dore  &  Totley ,  Garforth ,  Greenfield ,  Huddersfield ,  Hull ,  Leeds ,  Malton ,  Marsden ,  Meadowhall ,  Middlesbrough ,  Mirfield ,  Normanton ,  Northallerton ,  Scarborough ,  Slaithwaite ,  Seamer ,  Selby ,  Sheffield ,  South Milford ,  Thirsk ,  Thornaby-on-Tees ,  Wakefield  Kirkgate,  Yarm  and  York .

Transpennine Express is operated by TransPennine Trains Ltd, a company run by the UK Government's Department for Transport
(Before May 28, 2023 it was operated by First Group)


Heritage railways

See our page dedicated to  Heritage railways  normally operated by steam or classic diesel locomotives, which are not part of the National Rail network.

More information

Further details of trains on the National Rail network can be found at its enquiry website:

 National Rail   National Rail Enquiries and journey planner (external link).

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