Train operators Northern, East Midlands Railway (EMR) and TransPennine Express (TPE) have strengthened their partnership with a new ticket acceptance agreement aimed at improving travel continuity across the North of England.
From Sunday, 22 June 2025, customers holding tickets for Northern, EMR or TPE services will be able to use their tickets on any of the three operators’ trains within two hours of a cancellation. The arrangement applies to both pre-planned and unplanned disruptions and allows travel on any reasonable route shown in journey planners.
This move builds on an earlier policy, introduced in December 2024, which allowed Northern customers to use EMR and TPE services on Sundays in the event of cancellations. The new agreement formalises and expands that provision, making it automatic and available throughout the week.
Under the revised policy:
- Tickets will be accepted on Northern, EMR and TPE services within two hours of a cancelled train.
- Passengers may use any reasonable alternative route displayed in journey planners.
- The policy applies across key routes including Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
- The arrangement is designed to reduce workload for frontline and control teams while offering increased certainty and flexibility for customers.
“This agreement is about doing the right thing for our customers when things don’t go according to plan. Sadly, things do go wrong from time to time, so we’ve worked closely with colleagues at East Midlands Railway and TransPennine Express to design a policy which will keep our towns and cities across the North connected in times of disruption. I’m pleased that we have been able to build upon the great work that has already taken place to date, with a simpler, easy to understand policy that makes sense for customers and our teams,” Tricia Williams, Managing Director of Northern, said:.
The expanded Northern ticket acceptance agreement complements broader efforts under the government’s public ownership programme. Since December 2024, customers facing disruption on any LNER, Northern or TPE service have been permitted to travel on any of those operators to complete their journeys.
Northern is the UK’s second-largest train operator, delivering approximately 2,650 services daily to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
Further information about travel support during disruption is available on Northern’s website.
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