Trans Pennine Express
TransPennine Express is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup operating the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regular express regional railway services between the major cities of Northern England as well as Scotland.
The TransPennine Express franchise operates all its services to and through Manchester covering three main routes. The service provides rail links for major towns and cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield, Hull, Leeds, York, Scarborough, Middlesbrough and Newcastle. TransPennine Express is one of the few UK train operating companies running 24 hours a day, including through New Year's Eve night. Trains run between York, Leeds and Manchester Airport at least every three hours every night of the week.
The TransPennine Express routes are subdivided into three sections:
North TransPennine, which includes all routes that pass through the core section between Manchester and Leeds
South TransPennine, which includes services running on the Hope Valley Line and the South Humberside Main Line
TransPennine North West, which consists of services on the West Coast Main Line.
Travel Times
Liverpool to Scarborough: 3 hours 8 minutes
Plan and Book:
The Journey
The backbone of the TransPennine Express service is a railway line which links Liverpool on England's west coast and Scarborough on its east coast. Connecting to this east-to-west, coast-to-coast line at various stations along the way are branch and cross lines to other destinations, mainly to the north, which are serviced by TransPennine Express trains. It is along the backbone line that this railway journey travels.
Liverpool
The journey begins at Lime Street station, the Liverpool terminus of the service. Lime Street is the largest and oldest railway station in Liverpool, its large entry hall fronts Lime Street in the heart of Liverpool. Planned along the lines of Euston station in London and built in 1849, it ended up with a single curved roof. In 1867 further expansion was needed and included the present northern arched train shed. With a span of 61 metres, it was the largest in the world at the time. As its name indictes, the station fronts Lime Street, made famous outside of Liverpool by the Beatles who mentioned it in their ditty "Maggie Mae" on their album "Abbey Road".
Lime Street station, Liverpool
The station building's opulence reflects the city's wealth during the era of its construction, a large volume of trade from the West Indies was passing through Liverpool, surpassed that of Ireland and Europe. In 1830, Liverpool and Manchester became the first cities to have an intercity rail link, through the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Given the crucial place of both cotton and slavery in the city's economy, its docks became Britain's busiest and its wealth exceeded that of London.
Albert Dock, Liverpool
From the mid-1970s onwards, Liverpool's docks and traditional manufacturing industries went into sharp decline due to restructuring of shipping and industry, causing massive losses of jobs. In the later 20th century, Liverpool's economy began to recover and they city focused on regeneration, a process which continues today.
Manchester
Manchester is a major city with a rich industrial heritage. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester had been a manorial township but began to expand at an astonishing rate around the turn of the 19th century. A boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and linking the city to sea, 58 km to the west.
In recent times, extensive investment and regeneration has since helped it turn into a thriving 'reborn' modern city. The Castlefield conservation area's 18th-century canal system recalls the city's days as a textile powerhouse, and visitors can trace this history at the interactive Museum of Science & Industry. The revitalised Salford Quays dockyards now house the Daniel Libeskind-designed Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry cultural centre.
If you break your journey in Manchester, we recommend taking the fascinating Manchester Ship Canal Cruise which travels along the full 56 km of the Manchester Ship Canal. The trip takes you along a magnificent waterway that shaped the city and the North West of England, passing through locks and bridges that have remained largely unchanged since their construction over 100 years ago; plus show you some of the region's most stunning architectural and natural sights. Stopovers include visits to The Lowry, Imperial War Museum, or Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays; the U-boat Story at Woodside, with its real German WWII U-534 submarine; and Liverpool's central attractions and Albert dock.
Standedge Tunnel portal
The line that links Manchester with Sheffield is a breathtaking route across the Pennines which passes through The Standedge Tunnels south west of Huddersfield. It consists of four parallel tunnels beneath the Pennines near Standedge. It opened in 1811 and is the longest and oldest of the four and is the longest and highest canal tunnel in the United Kingdom. Trains used three of the tunnels, the fouth tunnel is a canal tunnel, on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The railway tunnel was completed by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1848, the second parallel tunnel opened in 1871, the third tunnel with double tracks in 1894. All four tunnels are linked by cross-tunnels or adits at strategic intervals, which allowed the railway tunnels to be built quickly, reducing the need for construction shafts, as waste could be removed by boat. Of the railway tunnels, only the one built in 1894 is currently used for rail traffic.
Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre
At 5,000 metres, the Standedge Tunnel is the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in Britain. It is 194 metres underground at its deepest point, and 196 metres above sea level. The canal tunnel is only wide enough for one narrowboat for much of its length and to save on cost, as in some other canal tunnels in England, a tow-path was not provided in the tunnel. As canal boats were horse-drawn, the boats had to be legged through the tunnel, a process where one or more boatmen lay on the cargo and pushed against the roof or walls of the tunnel with their legs. The Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre at the Marsden end of the tunnel is located in the former warehouse used for transshipment of goods from canal barge to packhorse between 1798 when the canal reached Marsden and 1811 when the tunnel opened. The centre contains exhibitions on the history of the tunnels, the canal tunnel's recent restoration and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Also used as a base for boat trips into the tunnel, it is located 600 metres walking distance from Marsden station on the Manchester-Huddersfield line.
Huddersfield
Halfway between Leeds and Manchester is the large market town of Huddersfield. It is located in the eastern foothills of the Pennines which extend into the moorlands of the South Pennines west of the town. It is the 11th largest town in the United Kingdom with a population of over 160,000. Huddersfield is known for its Victorian architecture, its Railway Station being one the finest British railway station buildings of Britain's golden era of rail travel. Fronted by a magnificent classical portico, J P Pritchett's Huddersfield station is a prime example of how classical features were used to add dignity to the new building type of the railway station. A bronze statue of Huddersfield-born Sir Harold Wilson, Prime Minister 1964-1970 and 1974-1976 stands in front of its entrance.
Dewsbury
Once great textile town of the North, Dewsbury is a minster town to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds. After undergoing a period of major growth in the 19th century as a mill town, Dewsbury went through a period of decline. More recently there has been redevelopment of derelict mills into flats, and regenerating of city areas. Dewsbury market was established in the 14th century for local clothiers. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, Dewsbury was a centre for the shoddy and mungo industries which recycled woollen items by mixing them with new wool and making heavy blankets and uniforms. The town benefited economically from the canal, its location at the heart of the Heavy Woollen District, and its proximity to coal mines.
Leeds
Leeds is the largest city in the English county of Yorkshire. From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century, Leeds became a co-ordination centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth and white broadcloth defore the Industrial Revolution. Leeds handled one sixth of England's export trade in 1770, expanding and absorbing the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. The city has developed from the decay of the post-industrial era to become a telephone banking centre, connected to the electronic infrastructure of the modern global economy. Today, Leeds has the most diverse economy of all of the UK's main employment centres.
Leeds has seen great expenditure on regenerating the city, attracting in investments and flagship projects, as found in Leeds city centre. Many developments boasting luxurious penthouse apartments have been built close to the city centre. On the south bank of the River Aire, the Royal Armouries houses the national collection of arms and artillery. Across the river, the redeveloped industrial area around Call Lane is famed for its bars under converted railway arches and live music venues. Leeds Kirkgate Market features hundreds of indoor and outdoor stalls.
York
York is an historic walled city that was founded by the ancient Romans. Its huge 13th-century Gothic cathedral, York Minster, has medieval stained glass and two functioning bell towers. The City Walls still stand and form a walkway on both sides of the River Ouse. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events in England throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city offers a wealth of historic attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent, and a variety of cultural and sporting activities making it a popular tourist destination for millions. York is the hub of the UK's north eastern railway network. It is also home to the National Railway Museum which houses many iconic British steam and diesel locomotives.
As well as the Railway Museum, the city contains numerous other museums and historic buildings such as the Yorkshire Museum and its Museum Gardens, Clifford's Tower (part of York Castle), Jorvik Viking Centre, York Art Gallery, the Richard III Museum, Merchant Adventurers' Hall, the reconstructed medieval house Barley Hall (owned by the York Archaeological Trust), the 18th century Fairfax House, the Mansion House (the historic home of the Lord Mayor) and the so-called Treasurer's House (owned by the National Trust).