West Midlands Trains "Destination Manchester" - will it happen?

[gg1]

Yes. Far fewer 'direct' flights around the world.
But you missed my point. Which was about connections. Instead of connecting train to plane in a different city. People would probably be better off connecting plane to plane and still using Birmingham airport.

Personally I always prioritise a direct flight over extra travel time to the departure airport.

 

[Topological]

Personally I always prioritise a direct flight over extra travel time to the departure airport.

I probably favour connections.

However, I certainly favour lowest cost. Ticket prices are what normally determines which airport I use. There is a further trade off between combined journey time and price.

For me in Swansea, that means flying from Heathrow, even though I pass Cardiff and Bristol (both with connections via Amsterdam) to get to Heathrow.

Living in Manchester was great because Manchester is a big airport. I can fully understand why people between Birmingham New Street and Crewe might use this new train for a direct route to the airport.

 

[em81]

I feel Florence and Pisa flights are a good example of how people choose to travel. There's Pisa flights from many UK airports, but only a very limited number offer Florence flights. Many Brits visit Florence after flying to Pisa. It's easy to travel between Pisa airport and Florence, so there's no need to trek to a UK airport with a direct flight to Florence, or change planes at a European hub.

I've taken indirect flights too. Like Manchester to Vancouver via Reykjavik and Manchester to Kilimanjaro via Amsterdam. I'd much prefer indirect to travelling to Heathrow for a direct flight. One time I flew from a London airport I booked a Premier Inn for an early flight but then the flight time was moved to the afternoon, so I didn't really need the Premier Inn!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Sep 2026 ==

Likewise, but I suspect the majority of potential users have given up with an unreliable train service and use a taxi now, I said above that I certainly do. It's not worth the hassle, inconvenience and doubt compared to a door-to-door service, although I know that for some people the cost will factor in as more important than it currently does to me.
I used to go by train to the airport but the only-hourly service in the return direction meant that I couldn't be bothered to wait.

Maybe more important is the reduction in the trains Alderley Edge-Crewe which come from this change.

I know someone who booked a Veezu to take them to Alderley Edge station, as it saved them £10 over taking a private hire to the airport. They booked it so it was estimated to arrive at the station 20 minutes before the train was due. It turned up over 20 minutes late at their house, and they were dropped off at the station entrance 1 minute before the train was due. They decided it was too stressful and wouldn't attempt that again.

 

[lowe1409]

I know someone who booked a Veezu to take them to Alderley Edge station, as it saved them £10 over taking a private hire to the airport. They booked it so it was estimated to arrive at the station 20 minutes before the train was due. It turned up over 20 minutes late at their house, and they were dropped off at the station entrance 1 minute before the train was due. They decided it was too stressful and wouldn't attempt that again.

I expect very few people use alderley edge station for flights. I'd imagine alderley to airport passengers are much more likely to be commuters, or buisness/short stay travellers flying with just hand lugagge than people flying on holiday with enough luggage to justify a taxi.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Likewise, but I suspect the majority of potential users have given up with an unreliable train service and use a taxi now

Given that Alderley Edge is not a poor area, you're probably right in that they'll just pay for the taxi. As you say, given an hourly train service it makes sense.

Maybe more important is the reduction in the trains Alderley Edge-Crewe which come from this change.

Possibly, but I can't imagine that there would be all that many people going from Alderley Edge to Crewe. It depends how the connections from the existing stopper connect into other trains at Crewe.

 

[em81]

It is worth remembering there are some businesses based in Alderley Edge, and there is some social housing, but in both cases much less than in Wilmslow.

 

[lowe1409]

It is worth remembering there are some businesses based in Alderley Edge, and there is some social housing, but in both cases much less than in Wilmslow.

On the line between Crewe and Manchester (via Stockport and the airport) it is one of the least used stations (only the hourly served stations doing worse) and it gets 3tph to Manchester and (more than busier Handforth, maulduth road, and Burnage). if any station on the line can afford a service reduction, it is alderley edge.

 

[RealTrains07]

It appears the train times for the first phase of the new manchester airport service have started appearing on the journey planner tab on the National Rail app.

Based on a brief glimpse of the weekday services:

Towards Birmingham New Street:

- Most trains will depart Crewe at xx:51 every hour - first train being the 06:51.

(The only exception is the last train, the 21:45 from Crewe)

- Trains will then arrive into Birmingham New Street at around xx:21 every hour.

Returning from Birmingham New Street:

- Most trains will depart New Street at around xx:55 every hour throughout the day.

(The exceptions being the 05:49 and then evening trains: 18:49, 19:50, 20:50 and 21:50 which depart 5-6 mins earlier)

- Trains will then arrive at Crewe at around xx:24 every hour.

- Weirdly the first departure of the day, the 05:49 starts at Birmingham International at 05:39 and then runs fast to Wolverhampton via the Stour Valley instead of via Tame Bridge for some reason.

Be interesting to see if anything changes between now and December.

I imagine the train times above will also be available to view on Real Time Trains too.

 

[absolutelymilk]

Returning from Birmingham New Street:

- Most trains will depart New Street at around xx:55 every hour throughout the day.

(The exceptions being the 05:49 and then evening trains: 18:49, 19:50, 20:50 and 21:50 which depart 5-6 mins earlier)

- Trains will then arrive at Crewe at around xx:24 every hour.

Thanks for posting and exciting to see this nearly up and running! For those who were wondering, this will take 1h 29m, e.g. the 10.55 from New Street reaches Crewe at 12.24. (rather than 29 minutes or 2h 29 minutes!)

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Thanks for posting and exciting to see this nearly up and running! For those who were wondering, this will take 1h 29m, e.g. the 10.55 from New Street reaches Crewe at 12.24. (rather than 29 minutes or 2h 29 minutes!)

Be interesting to see the timings given current timings of roughly 50 minutes on the via Stoke to Stafford, 20 minutes to Wolves and roughly 30 to New St via Tame Bridge.

 

[absolutelymilk]

It's not the main impact, but it does mean Willenhall/Darlaston to Wolverhampton goes from 1tph to 2tph which is much better for getting a connection on the WCML!

 

[RealTrains07]

It's not the main impact, but it does mean Willenhall/Darlaston to Wolverhampton goes from 1tph to 2tph which is much better for getting a connection on the WCML!

This is great to see, just a shame other stations on the route like Stone are stuck with 1 tph still but that is something this service just can’t fix unfortunately

 

[em81]

This is great to see, just a shame other stations on the route like Stone are stuck with 1 tph still but that is something this service just can’t fix unfortunately

I'm not against improvements but a town with a population of 17278 and annual usage of under 1/4 million journeys doesn't normally get 2tph in each direction. There's maybe some exceptions in PTE and the TfL area.

Hopefully the direct train to Birmingham sees passenger numbers double, then the case for 2tph gets much stronger.

 

[lowe1409]

I'm not against improvements but a town with a population of 17278 and annual usage of under 1/4 million journeys doesn't normally get 2tph in each direction. There's maybe some exceptions in PTE and the TfL area.

Hopefully the direct train to Birmingham sees passenger numbers double, then the case for 2tph gets much stronger.

Alderley edge is presently smaller, outside any PTE, and sees 3tph northbound plus peak extras by TFW (which miss the busier handforth and Cheadle Hulme further north).

Though the current plan will see those reducing in may, though still better served then stone. Perhaps stone could see higher passenger figures from a more frequent service

 

[em81]

Alderley edge is presently smaller, outside any PTE, and sees 3tph northbound plus peak extras by TFW (which miss the busier handforth and Cheadle Hulme further north).

Though the current plan will see those reducing in may, though still better served then stone. Perhaps stone could see higher passenger figures from a more frequent service

I said normally. Alderley Edge is an unusual one. I presume the hourly train terminating there is for operational reasons, rather than passenger demand. It's also not really a place to change between buses and trains. If you want to make comparisons what about Poynton, Handforth, Congleton and Knutsford?

Or on LNR routes, what about Hartford? Decent usage but half the LNR trains go through it without stopping.

 

[MatthewE707]

Be interesting to see the timings given current timings of roughly 50 minutes on the via Stoke to Stafford, 20 minutes to Wolves and roughly 30 to New St via Tame Bridge.

Example service (RTT link):

Crewe 1351
Alsager 1400
Kidsgrove 1406
Longport 1411
Stoke-on-Trent 1418
Stone 1426
Stafford 1435
Wolverhampton 1450
Willenhall 1458
Darlaston 1502
Tame Bridge Parkway 1506
Birmingham New Street 1521

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I'm not against improvements but a town with a population of 17278 and annual usage of under 1/4 million journeys doesn't normally get 2tph in each direction. There's maybe some exceptions in PTE and the TfL area.

Hopefully the direct train to Birmingham sees passenger numbers double, then the case for 2tph gets much stronger.

It has very healthy usage given what service it does receive, give it more and more will use it

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Sep 2026 ==

Example service (RTT link):

Crewe 1351
Alsager 1400
Kidsgrove 1406
Longport 1411
Stoke-on-Trent 1418
Stone 1426
Stafford 1435
Wolverhampton 1450
Willenhall 1458
Darlaston 1502
Tame Bridge Parkway 1506
Birmingham New Street 1521

Thanks for this. Looks mostly safe timings wise, though having this go through Stafford at xx35, when the Liverpool to Birmingham is due at xx39 seems odd. It also leaves Crewe 1 minute prior which is bound to cause agro.

Maybe a recast on the Liverpool to swap with the Semi-Fast times?

 

[em81]

It has very healthy usage given what service it does receive, give it more and more will use it

I'm not saying 240,000 journeys per annum is a bad figure, but there's other stations getting that level of usage with an hourly service.

I feel Poynton is very comparable to Stone. It hasn't had a Sunday service for a long time due to staffing issues and gets 210,000 journeys per annum.

In the case of both Poynton and Stone more services would drive growth, but there's infrastructure limitations. That may prevent a consistent half-hourly service, even if the frequency can be doubled. In theory one additional set could provide an hourly Stoke to Stafford via Stone shuttle. In practice pathing and platform constraints may mean it's not possible.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I'm not saying 240,000 journeys per annum is a bad figure, but there's other stations getting that level of usage with an hourly service.

I feel Poynton is very comparable to Stone. It hasn't had a Sunday service for a long time due to staffing issues and gets 210,000 journeys per annum.

In the case of both Poynton and Stone more services would drive growth, but there's infrastructure limitations. That may prevent a consistent half-hourly service, even if the frequency can be doubled. In theory one additional set could provide an hourly Stoke to Stafford via Stone shuttle. In practice pathing and platform constraints may mean it's not possible.

Don't think pathing is an issue at Stone, pretty sure only the XC Manchester trains use it other than the single LNWR service per hour.

Fitting extra paths between Kidsgrove and Stone is likely the pinch point with having those Avantis flying through Hixon.

Don't forget Stone used to have direct trains to Euston! They do expect a decent service there, and the local support group for the station is known to be very active. They will be up in arms at missing the Euston connection at Stafford when they find out the timings I'm sure.

 

[Kite159]

Don't think pathing is an issue at Stone, pretty sure only the XC Manchester trains use it other than the single LNWR service per hour.

Fitting extra paths between Kidsgrove and Stone is likely the pinch point with having those Avantis flying through Hixon.

Don't forget Stone used to have direct trains to Euston! They do expect a decent service there, and the local support group for the station is known to be very active. They will be up in arms at missing the Euston connection at Stafford when they find out the timings I'm sure.

There are a couple of random Avanti services which go Stafford - Stone - Stoke a day, but not that many in the grand scheme. I suspect another pinch point is the single track section between Crewe & Alsager.

 

[A S Leib]

There are a couple of random Avanti services which go Stafford - Stone - Stoke a day, but not that many in the grand scheme

There's two northbound and one southbound per day (Euston – Sandwell & Dudley – Stoke – Crewe and vice-versa, and Euston – Bescot – Stoke – Crewe).

 

[SeanM1997]

I am unable to read this article, but perhaps someone has a subscription and is able to share?

Birmingham-Manchester Airport service has knock-on effect for Northern​

Birmingham-Manchester Airport service has knock-on effect for Northern

London Northwestern Railway will start Birmingham New Street-Manchester Airport service from May 2027 running via Stafford, Stoke and Crewe.

www.railmagazine.com

 

[A S Leib]

A new direct rail service between Manchester Airport and Birmingham New Street is to have a knock-on effect for Northern.

London Northwestern Railway (LNwR) will be taking over the current hourly Crewe-Manchester Airport-Manchester Piccadilly path from May 2027 but has decided not to continue the service beyond the airport.

This will mean that some stations along the Crewe-Manchester line will be reduced to one direct train-per hour to Piccadilly. Currently, there are two Northern services into the city centre.

This includes an all-station stopper that runs direct via Stockport as well as a second semi-fast service between Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly that runs via the Styal branch line to Manchester Airport, where it reverses and continues its journey via Gatley.

Stations that are affected include Sandbach, Holmes Chapel, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Styal.

The new LNwR service will not stop at Alderley Edge, with research conducted by both it and Northern showing that many passengers at the station chose to travel on services that go via Stockport.

Northern is planning on operating a service between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly, however it is currently unclear on how that will be timed with the new LNwR service. The current timetable involves a 16-minute wait at Manchester Airport before reversing and continuing.


Northern is not expected to run any extra services either.

A Northern spokesperson said: “We welcome the introduction of this new service as it will give millions of holidaymakers a direct route to Manchester Airport.

“We have been working closely with London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Greater Manchester and Network Rail to make this happen and it’s a great example of what we can deliver as we move towards Great British Railways.”

You don't need a subscription; you just need to make a free account.

 

[jfollows]

It only affects Wilmslow if you want a through train to stations between Heald Green and Mauldeth Road or to Alderley/Holmes Chapel/Sandbach, it’s hopelessly slow for a through service to Manchester and I’ve only used it once recently when Avanti were culling lots of their services. I guess it’s going to mean no cheap Northern advances to Crewe or other places also.
EDIT But I suspect this is just taking the discussion on this thread round in circles, apologies!

 

[em81]

WMT offer some cheap fares to the West Midlands. The other day I had to travel to Solihull. I found the walk on fare with XC would have been £130 return - with a reduction possible if I split at Stafford, where the train stopped after 09:30. However changing to LNR at Crewe meant boarding a train towards Birmingham before 09:30 but still benefitting from the £36 Off Peak Return for the Crewe to Solihull leg.

 

[jfollows]

Yes, there are huge savings to be made by splitting at Stafford for a Wilmslow-Birmingham trip, book to University (same price) to circumvent the evening restrictions also (if your destination is central Birmingham), and it may well be that more opportunities arise with the new service. XC is exorbitant in comparison (via Stockport for me). Also, as you say, the second leg may be after 09:30 even if the first leg isn't. Depending on the time of day I've noted huge savings with this particular split.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Here is another example of how the Styal line from Manchester is currently being used by a commuter on his way to a department store, where he has worked for for very many years.

He boards the 0749 Northern Trains service from Gatley, which arrives at Wilmslow at 0806 and he just has a five minute walk from the railway station to his place of employment.

He lives just a four minute walk from his home to Gatley station, which was the reason why he bought that property many years ago. Wilmslow is not renowned for parking space availability.

Úntil I broached the subject of the proposed Birmingham to Manchester Airport rail service and its effect on the Styal line services to Wilmslow, he was totally unaware of the implications to his daily direct commute.

 

[em81]

Wilmslow does have some large employers like the ICO and Royal London. I don't know how many would use the train. The few times I've used Wilmslow station the majority of people seem to arrive and leave by taxi or car. It's very unusual to get off a train and to walk towards the centre and find very few people doing the same walk.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Wilmslow does have some large employers like the ICO and Royal London. I don't know how many would use the train. The few times I've used Wilmslow station the majority of people seem to arrive and leave by taxi or car. It's very unusual to get off a train and to walk towards the centre and find very few people doing the same walk.

Those large employers you mention are not exactly based in the town centre of Wilmslow, which does have a sizable number of employers; Hoopers department store springs to mind'

Your mention of people arriving at the railway station by taxi and car is reflective of the socio-economic groups in that area, but I ask if you are aware of what a problem it can be to park all day in the town centre if you work there.

 

[em81]

Those large employers you mention are not exactly based in the town centre of Wilmslow, which does have a sizable number of employers; Hoopers department store springs to mind'

Your mention of people arriving at the railway station by taxi and car is reflective of the socio-economic groups in that area, but I ask if you are aware of what a problem it can be to park all day in the town centre if you work there.

I would say the ICO is walking distance from the station. Google Maps shows it as 0.6 miles from the station. Many school children are expected to walk a lot further than that. It looks like Royal London have moved. They used to be Wilmslow but Google Maps is showing them at Alderley Park now. That might be one reason for the introduction of the 150 bus service.

I haven't tried to park a car in Wilmslow. Although, I seem to recall the Catholic church in Wilmslow had a huge sign saying that the car park was only for mass attendees.