---

Northern: Rolling Stock

Answer

DFT Operator expects operators to provide appropriate capacity in response to expected demand and holds operators to account for short -formed services. While DFT Operator generally monitors levels of short formation at an operator level every four weeks, more detailed route information is available for Northern services due to specific challenges concerning the age of its fleet. These are set out below:

Route	number of trains with fewer carriages
Southport - Stalybridge	4709		23.5%
Skipton - Leeds	4588		13.1%
Leeds - Harrogate - York	4311		11.7%
Leeds - Manchester Victoria	4271		21.4%
Manchester Piccadilly - New Mills Central	4262		24.4%
Blackpool North - Manchester Airport (express) via Bolton	4121		12.5%
Blackburn - Wigan/Headbolt Lane	4087		22.2%
Liverpool - Oxford Rd via Warrington (stoppers)	3504		13.4%
Manchester Victoria - Clitheroe via Bolton	3494		21.7%
Leeds - Chester	3202		20.7%
Southport - Oxford Rd via Bolton	3046		22.3%
Leeds - Ilkley	2983		8.3%
Leeds - Sheffield via Moorthorpe	2872		13.0%
Sheffield - Huddersfield	2829		17.8%
Liverpool - Warrington Central	2095		18.6%
Wigan - Leeds	1962		12.4%
Manchester Piccadilly - Buxton	1939		5.9%
Halifax - Hull	1842		9.6%
Leeds/Castleford - Huddersfield via Dewsbury	1783		16.3%
Liverpool - Manchester Airport via Huyton (stoppers)	1760		9.7%
Leeds - Knottingley via Wakefield	1570		10.2%
Manchester Piccadilly - Sheffield	1488		8.8%
Bradford Forster Square - Ilkley	1359		5.3%
Goole - Castleford - Leeds	1233		7.1%
Liverpool - Blackpool North (express)	1159		7.5%
Sheffield - Hull/Scarborough via Doncaster	1005		2.8%
Leeds - Bradford Forster Square	972		3.4%
Blackpool North - York	924		5.3%
Manchester Piccadilly - Crewe via Stockport	918		3.2%
Liverpool - Wigan/Blackpool North (stoppers)	865		2.8%
Bradford Forster Square - Skipton	821		3.1%
Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield (stoppers)	809		3.9%
Leeds - Garforth - York	757		4.8%
Rochdale - Blackburn	704		4.9%
Doncaster - Leeds	661		3.5%
Manchester Airport - Windermere/Barrow (express)	643		4.8%
Leeds - Lincoln via Sheffield	592		3.0%
Whitby - Middlesbrough	509		9.2%
Leeds - Settle - Carlisle	471		5.2%
Manchester Piccadilly - Chester	453		2.6%
Blackpool South - Preston	379		2.4%
Durham Coast	372		1.5%
Leeds - Nottingham	368		2.0%
York - Hull/Bridlington	364		1.8%
Leeds - Knaresborough	346		15.3%
Newcastle - Carlisle	285		0.8%
Windermere - Oxenholme	283		2.5%
Manchester Piccadilly - Crewe via Manchester Airport	276		1.7%
Wigan - Manchester Victoria via Eccles	242		5.7%
Newcastle - Ashington	223		0.8%
Hull - Scarborough (local Services Beverley Hull)	216		2.7%
Cumbria Coast	182		0.7%
Manchester Piccadilly - Stoke on Trent	91		0.6%
Barrow/Windermere - Preston	87		1.4%
Bradford Interchange - Huddersfield	84		0.9%
Sheffield - Adwick	64		0.3%
Bishop Auckland - Saltburn	59		0.2%
Preston - Colne	52		0.3%
Manchester Piccadilly - Rose Hill Marple	37		0.2%
Lancaster - Morecambe	17		0.1%
Manchester Piccadilly - Hadfield/Glossop	10		0.0%
Sheffield - York	6		0.2%
Saltburn - Chester le Street - Carlisle	5		0.3%
Preston - Ormskirk	5		0.0%
Leeds - Lancaster	4		0.1%
Sheffield - Gainsborough Central	3		2.9%
Rochdale - Ribblehead	3		1.1%
Ellesmere Port - Helsby/Liverpool	2		0.1%
Chathill - Newcastle	1		0.1%

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

7499

Session

2026-27

Related items

Northern: Rolling Stock
Thursday, 4 June 2026
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Rolling stock Northern

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk