The 19 Northern routes where train services are cancelled or disrupted on Sunday

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Nineteen Northern rail routes will be affected by more disruption and cancellations on Sunday - as the operator has once again apologised for the recent issues on the lines on the lines in the North West.

It comes on one of the busiest weekends of the year for rail travel, with many using the service to visit loved ones over Christmas.

And it coincides with a yellow wind warning that covers much of the country until 9pm this evening, also predicted to affect travel. "Recently, we have seen higher levels of cancellations in the North West and for that we are sorry," said Northern Rail on its website. "The underlying reason is train crew availability, in particular on Sundays which is contractually outside of the working week. "We encourage everyone to plan ahead and check journeys before travelling for the latest information and train times." As of today, Sunday 22nd December, the following routes remain running but will have large gaps in services: Northern recommends passengers check before travelling, especially last services of the day, which may be earlier than usual.

The following services will operate a limited rail replacement bus service, with 'longer' and 'less frequent' services: And the following routes are also a replacement bus service - but these were already part of a scheduled short term timetable, according to Northern: Last month Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described Northern as a 'part-time rail service' due to the high numbers of cancellations on its trains.