Ahead of the highly-anticipated opening of the Manchester Christmas Markets, Northern Rail has issued a plea to all those planning to travel on its trains during the festive season.
In case you’d forgotten, the Manchester Christmas Markets officially open today (12 November) and will be spreading festive cheer across the city centre right through until Wednesday 22 December – but as the iconic markets are known to attract millions of visitors each year, rail provider Northern is warning customers choosing to travel by train that stations and services may be much busier than usual due as a result.
The company has therefore released a statement ahead of the markets opening.
“The Christmas Markets are fantastic for Manchester and there is a genuine buzz around the city, as it’s transformed into a winter wonderland,” explained Chris Jackson, Director at Northern.
“Many visitors choose to the leave their cars at home and travel by train to enjoy all the markets have to offer [and] it’s a great way to travel to and from the city, but the additional customers mean our trains and stations are likely to be busier than normal – particularly in the evenings and at weekends.
“And sadly, with alcohol often playing a large part in people’s enjoyment of the markets – coupled with the start of the Christmas party season – the festivities can be spoiled by anti-social behaviour which impacts on other customers and rail staff.”
Northern Rail has issued a plea to all those planning to travel on its trains during the festive season / Credit: Flickr
The company has also issued some updates regarding scheduled maintenance works that passengers should be aware of over the next couple of weeks.
As part of the work by Northern to “keep rail customers safe this Christmas”, on Saturdays, the 21:43 train from Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke-on-Trent will operate as a ‘dry-train’ until 18 December (including on 18 December), and this means that the consumption of alcohol is not permitted on the service.
“We want to make sure all our customers have a great festive season, so I’m asking everyone to act with patience and respect,” Chris added.
“Our trains will be busy, but we’ll have extra staff on duty and all at Northern will be working round-the-clock to help people get where they need to be.”
Northern customers should also be aware that Deansgate station closes at 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays during the Christmas Markets, so during this time, customers will need to use Manchester Victoria, Oxford Road, or Piccadilly stations – which are just a few minutes’ walk away.
Classical musician Hauser announces huge arena gig in Manchester later this year
Thomas Melia
Croatian cellist and former member of classical band 2CELLOS, Hauser, has announced a tour including an arena date in Manchester this year.
World-class musician Stjepan Hauser, known professionally as Hauser, is getting ready to pack his cello and cheeky smile as he embarks on ‘The Rebel Is Back’ tour.
Hauser has amassed a worldwide cult following of classical music lovers, by not only respecting the genre, but evolving it too by intertwining his cello skills into modern day pop hits.
The cellist has covered lots of current pop songs while part of musical duo 2CELLOS like ‘We Found Love’, ‘Despacito’, and ‘Viva La Vida’.
You can also expect to hear covers of some of music’s greatest compositions, including the timeless opera classic ‘Nessun Dorma’, and highly-adored ballet piece ‘Swan Lake’.
Recently, Hauser has teamed up with London Symphony Orchestra to reimagine Ennio Morricone’s ‘Le Vent, le cri’, taken from the 1981 French film Le Professionnel.
Hauser has performed in over 40 countries and played at some of the most prestigious venues across the world – including Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.
He’s also become a social media sensation, capturing people’s attention via his videos playing his cello in a variety of interesting locations like a swimming pool, at the desert, and even on the famous Brooklyn Bridge.
Classical musician Hauser announces huge arena gig in Manchester later this year / Credit: Stefan Brending (via Wikimedia Commons)
You’ll be able to identify a lot of the tracks played out when Hauser visits AO Arena, as his upcoming album titled Cinema, features a wide variety of soundtracks and film theme tunes.
The highly-anticipated LP from Hauser contains ‘What Was I Made For?’ from Barbie, ‘Mission: Impossible’, ‘A Time For Us’ from Romeo and Juliet, alongside lots more motion picture melodies.
The musician is quite familiar with Manchester city city centre too, Hauser studied at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before taking the classical world by storm.
Hauser is bringing ‘The Rebel Is Back’ tour to AO Arena in Manchester on 29 November, and you can find tickets HERE.
Featured Images – Publicity Picture via Simon Emmett
News
Police appeal after teen was killed in collision between car and e-bike in Middleton
Emily Sergeant
Police have issued a public appeal for information after a teenage boy was killed in a collision between a car and an e-bike.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 11:55am on Monday 21 July, officers responded to reports of a collision on Rowrah Crescent in the Middleton area, and emergency services immediately attended – but despite their best efforts, a 15-year-old boy was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation has been launched following the distressing incident, and police are are working to establish the full circumstances.
A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and remains in custody for questioning at this time.
Police are appealing after a teenager was killed in a collision between a car and an e-bike in Middleton / Credit: GMP | Pxfuel
Police are also investigating allegations of a theft in the events leading up to collision, and another boy, also aged 15, has been arrested on suspicion of theft as part of that ongoing work.
“This terrible incident has seen the death of a teenage boy, and we are working hard to establish the full facts of this case, in what is the very early stages of an investigation,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Dean, from GMP’s Rochdale district.
“A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and will be questioned in due course.
“While officers are already in place to support the family of the boy who has died today, I want to remind people that at the heart of this is a grieving family, and I would ask the community to not speculate on social media while we piece together the events of earlier today.”
Rowrah Crescent in Middleton, where the collision happened / Credit: Google Maps
A scene remains in place on Rowrah Crescent, and GMP says officers will be able to assist any locals with queries or concerns they may have.
Now that the investigation is ongoing, police are now appealing to the public for information – with DCI Dean adding: “As our work progresses, I would ask anyone with information to please come forward – whether you witnessed anything, or have any dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage from the area.”
Emily Sergeant -
12th November 2021 
