Essential Tips Revealed: Surviving Manchester's Christmas Market Train Rush

Passengers using Manchester Piccadilly station are being urged to ‘think in threes’ as the Christmas markets return to the city.

Huge numbers are expected to travel in and out of Manchester by train for the festive event which will see over 225 stalls at nine different sites across the city centre from today (Friday 10 November) until Thursday 21 December.

With bumper crowds expected, Network Rail is advising rail travellers to follow its three 'golden rules' for the smoothest journey possible.

Plan your journey and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk   
Take an earlier train home – later services will be extremely busy
Please respect station staff and other passengers when making your journey
During the opening weekend of 2022’s Christmas markets, just under 500,000 people used Manchester Piccadilly station.

While the stalls and attractions are a great addition to the city, it can mean trains and platforms are much busier.

As with previous years, queuing systems may be used to safely allow people to board their trains home, and extra staff will be around to lend a helping hand.

Kyla Thomas, Network Rail station manager at Manchester Piccadilly, said: “It's great to see the Christmas markets back bigger and better and we want everyone travelling by train to have the best possible journeys there and back.

“To make everyone’s visit as smooth as it can be, I’m urging passengers to follow our three golden rules to make travelling in and out of Manchester as easy as possible. There will be extra staff in place across the station to provide advice and information and help keep passengers safe throughout the festive season.”
To plan journeys in advance and find out train times home passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk.