Train from Manchester vs. Heathrow to York

For our Oct 2024 trip, we're starting off in York and so I had the exact same decision to make. I ended up booking flights into Manchester, knowing that Mary, a fellow poster on here, had successfully done the same for her trip, as well as based on a lot of kind and very helpful input from DMing with isn31c.

Manchester being a smaller airport than the chaos of Heathrow, and not having the hour long tube ride in addition to the train to York, all while jetlagged, all factored in.

Ultimately I don't think there's necessarily a right or wrong answer, though I will note that I did end up changing up our travel dates slightly so that we would arrive on a weekday rather than weekend (there's more frequent direct trains from MAN to York on weekdays, and it avoids any scheduled train maintenance on weekends).

I can only relate my experience with Manchester.

I've been numerous times and like the city. The airport is old and the train station is a bit of a hike depending on from which terminal you arrive. (This walk can even be more complicated than at Heathrow as it might contain a few lifts, escalators, and non-working ticket machines. (All my experience including this past September.)

The train you would take to York is on Transpenine Express. I truly dislike this train company. My last three trips with them were cancelled. One two minutes prior to departure. (None due to strikes.) They were recently taken over by the government but I've heard they still have problems. (I can't even get their app to work.)

The tube from Heathrow to Kings Cross is simple. You get on the tube at Heathrow and get off at Kings Cross. Then just head to the platform for your train to York.

Unless your flight is much cheaper going to Manchester, I would choose the Heathrow--Kings Cross-York routing.

YMMV

Which airline are you flying? Earlier this year I flew Virgin from Atlanta to Manchester and it was very easy. Just breezed through the e-gates and walked (5-10 minutes) to the train station. The part of Manchester Airport I saw (not much) was fine.

Yes, both flights are Virgin direct from Atlanta. Online reviews and friends have recommended saying their Economy is very nice. Advantage of living in a hub city. ;-)

I am an expat Brit. I have lived in Manchester for two years and visit quite often, and used Heathrow airport (LHR) a lot, recently. To me it’s a no-brainer given two factors: 1) LHR is a nightmare for anything from arrivals to stopovers—perhaps the worst major airport in Europe! It can be a little complicated, expensive, and tiresome getting Kings Cross any way you do it; 2) Manchester has an excellent public transit system represented primarily by the Metrolink. You can easily get a direct “tram” to Piccadilly train station. (Do not confuse it with Victoria train station in Manchester). See the links below for more details:

https://tfgm.com/public-transport/tram/network-map

https://tfgm.com/public-transport/tram

https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/getting-to-and-from/by-tram/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187069-i236-k10425441-Metrolink_to_manchester_airport-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html

You won't ever be waiting 4 to 5 hours for a train to York. At worst on a weekday it'll be an hour. If things are really up the creek, you may have to change at Huddersfield (easy) or Leeds. Leeds has 4 or more trains an hour to York, run by at least 3 different operators.
As of a week ago there are also Manchester to York trains on a route via Wakefield and Castleford reopened after a 50 year closure. A useful diversionary route now if the via Huddersfield route has problems.
To route via London is a case of cutting your nose off to spite your face. And paying far more to cope with largely imaginary problems.
Everyone on this forum seems to think that LNER is perfect, which basically is twaddle. Plus coping with the transfer into London. LNER have as many issues as any other operator as do Grand Central to York.
Grantham last week exemplified that when thousands of LNER passengers were dumped at Grantham for over 24 hours with no way forward after an overhead wiring issue.
I have known Manchester Airport for over 50 years and don't recognise it from the sketch above.
If the ticket machines are out of order (not the airports fault) buy at the ticket office, or the barrier staff if the office is closed. Last resort buy on the train from the guard. Same price if the machines are not working.
Some people here have a clear personal vendetta against TPE. Some people like me just get on with life and use them. Today I am on 3 TPE trains. The first I already know is running, and on time. The others time will tell. To be honest I am more concerned with the last Northern train today.
What is also often forgotten is that Northern also run to York from Manchester. Any train or tram to Manchester then Northern to York.
The difficulty of the Manchester to York journey is being way over stated.

Since you are flying Virgin, Heathrow is a breeze.

You will arrive at Terminal 3. As you exit, customs, you will walk a few feet to the ramp down to the tube. It's less than a five minute walk--some of it with moveable walkways--to the entrance to the tube. Trains run every few minutes. You will more than likely get a seat as depending on which Piccadilly line train you get it's probably where the train begins.

From the tube exit at Kings Cross, it's a few minutes walk to the board where you will find out which platform to use.

Direct train to York. No changing trains at different stations. Choice of two train lines.

Weather doesn't matter as you will not have to go outside for any of this. In fact, the only time you have to go out is when you arrive in York.

And it's all step free.

However, if you fly into Manchester, and don't want to wait for a direct train to York, my suggestion is to get to Manchester Piccadilly station and then get a train to York. (Numerous trains from the airport direct to Manchester Piccadilly)

Manchester Piccadilly is an easy station to get around and the tracks are all--basically--in one place.

You will have just come off an overnight flight and as you say will be sleep deprived. You are not familiar with the train systems. Don't start messing with changes in other cities. Make it as simple as you can. Even if it costs a few pounds more.

Heathrow to Kings Cross to York or

Manchester Airport to York or

Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly to York.

Anything else will just add stress. (An experienced UK train traveler will find it easy to do different routings. For the first time, sleep deprived, glassy eyed tourist.....keep it simple.)

Other things to note....

Don't buy the cheapest ticket on a certain train. If your flight is late, and you miss that train, your ticket is invalid and you will have to buy a new one. An All Day ticket can be used on any train on that route on that day. Miss one, get the next one.

Tickets from the airport to the main train staions (Heathrow to Kings Cross or Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadily) don't have to be bought in advance.

Don't buy tickets Manchester Airport to Pic then Manchester Pic to York. Buy it on arrival as a through ticket Airport to York.
A full price walk up fare to York is £44.50, valid on any train.
But there is also something called an Airport Advance Single for £28. In spite of its name this is almost a walk up fare. Looking at 0935 it is still available for the 0944 departure today and all later ones. The machine or ticket office will offer you the cheapest fare for the next train, if it offers you the lower fare great, if the higher fare so be it.
The machine will actively discourage you from buying a higher fare if a lower one is available.
Likewise on the Kings Cross route don't buy a cheap advance ticket, and end up either missing the train or hanging round for one. Buy a walk up ticket at KC valid on any train for £68.40, although LNER also often has cheaper walk up so called Advance Fares as they have this morning, which you can buy until minutes before departure. You won't pay more than £68.40 (prices increase in May) but may pay less, if lucky.

Manchester Airport regularly comes towards or at the very bottom of customer satisfaction surveys, especially Terminal 3. For comparison Liverpool & London City are at the top this year with the various Heathrow & Gatwick terminals are spread round the middle.

Sometimes though other things such as total travelling time may be more important in the balance.

I do wonder where some of these stories come from. I'm sure that you can find some bad reviews for Manchester Airport and you can certainly find plenty for Heathrow. Any airport of a decent size is going to garner bad reviews from time to time. For the vast majority of the time will work perfectly well and there is no getting round that it is much more conveniently places to get to York.

I've also no idea where the idea of having to wait 4/5 hours for a train at MAN comes from either. there is a regular hourly direct service or, if you just miss one of those, you can take any train into Piccadilly and change there.

The Airport Advance tickets are very useful as you can buy them well ahead of time and then, if a plane delay means you miss your booked train, you can just get the next one with no extra charges.

Thanks for the feedback. I should have clarified that we were looking at flying in on a Sunday, thus the delay to getting out of Manchester, but cost is about the same to fly in on Monday and then have the hourly direct train to York. At this point, I think I'm leaning on that option. It is the May Bank holiday weekend, but I don't think that will cause a huge spike in traffic.

In terms of buying tickets, I appreciate that advice too. Still researching, but I was thinking of buying rail passes as we would have at least two more rail trips to Edinburgh from York and then back south to London and maybe a day trip from London. Do the multi-day passes require buying/reserving ahead of time? Is that an option?

It is always better to avoid planning to travel by rail on Sundays, as there can be engineering work arranged anywhere in the country and that;'s especially true on holiday weekends. This would apply equally to London to York trains as well as Manchester to York. But, whatever the day, there is never going to be a situation where you will have to wait 4+ hours for a service, ever.

Please allow me to modify or change my previous response to your question. The London tube runs a direct train frequently from Heathrow to Kings Cross. The train from Kings Cross to York takes 2.17 mins (at least the faster ones) and there are as many as 60 a day from London to York. Thus, this would be a much simpler way to go than I previously suggested. Google a map of London Heathrow and its terminals to find out where you pick up the tube at LHR.

See:

https://heathrow-london-airport.com/transportation/airport-to-kings-cross/#:~:text=Picadilly%20Line%20travels%20directly%20from,%2F6.50%E2%82%AC%2F7%24.

From link below:

“Where to catch Piccadilly line trains from at Heathrow. Heathrow has three London Underground stations – one for Terminals 2 and 3 and one each at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 station is located between the two terminals, which are a few minutes' walk away via pedestrian subway.”

https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/by-rail-or-train/london-underground#:~:text=Where%20to%20catch%20Piccadilly%20line,walk%20away%20via%20pedestrian%20subway.

In terms of railpasses if you are talking Britrail passes, you need to purchase them before arrival in the UK.
But, whatever you are told elsewhere you do NOT need to reserve specific trains ahead of time. Just jump on any train you want. Some trains, like York to London it is advised to book ahead. You can do that at any staffed station at any time for free. The Britrail retailer trys to charge for reservations. Don't fall for that trick.
From Manchester Airport to York there is no need to reserve. You are first on the train!!
As Hannah many posts above said I have advised her by PM about Sunday travel on the route with facts, not inaccurate supposition. Early on a Sunday morning you may have to wait several hours for a direct train to York.
However there are still hourly trains from the airport as far as Huddersfield and Leeds. Because many TPE services serve Manchester Victoria, not Pic, it makes sense to catch any train from the airport and change at Huddersfield or Leeds as I said many posts above.
That change really is not hard, sleep deprived or otherwise.
That is the actual facts of the situation, under the new timetable which started 9 days ago.

An experienced UK train traveler will find it easy to do different routings. For the first time, sleep deprived, glassy eyed tourist...

Ehh, it depends. We were first time UK travelers this year and we never sleep on the plane. Landed in Manchester on a Sunday so had to change to get to York. Not saying it's ideal, but we were fine. Never felt confused or overwhelmed.

You say “we” so you might want to consider buying a railcard to save money. There are railcards for any single person under 30 or over 60 but there is also the TwoTogether card for any two people of any age as long as you travel together. It costs £30 and gives 1/3rd off all rail fares.

You will save money for any total cost over £99 which your plans to York, Edinburgh and London will easily do. You can buy the train tickets ahead of your trip saying that you have the cards but don’t physically need them until on the train. Or you can buy a digital version whenever.

You say “we” so you might want to consider buying a railcard to save money. There are railcards for any single person under 30 or over 60 but there is also the TwoTogether card for any two people of any age as long as you travel together. It costs £30 and gives 1/3rd off all rail fares.

Oh wow, that does seem a better deal than the RailPass as the "we" is just my wife and I. From Rick Steves site, estimated cost of the trains I'm looking at would be $660 vs. a 4-day RailPass for $624. 30% off of $660 would be a much better deal! Thanks for that info.

$660 for two? Rick's fares are way out of date. LNER fares have come down quite a bit.

From your other thread- you are doing MAN-York-EDI-London.

If you ignore all advance fares and buy 3x walk up fares that is-
MAN-York £44
York-EDI £58
EDI-LON £87

So the most you can pay each is £189, round that to £200, convert to $= $240 each or $480 for the two of you. In reality you would be very hard pressed to spend that much.
With pre planning you could nearly halve that figure.

Well, I think I screwed up with my choice to fly into Manchester. Looks like engineering work is planned that 1st Monday Bank Holiday, so now there aren't any direct trains from airport to York. I'm looking at either a bus to Huddeford then a train or train to Man Pic then walk/subway/bus to Man Vic for trains with another stop I think. I feel like I'm now stuck with bad options. Any advise?

I think Manchester is always a better choice than dealing with London.
If it wasnt for the current upgrade going I would say you could route by Sheffield to York from Picadilly.

My husband and I are flying into Manchester April 13th with the intention of taking the train to York upon arrival. What is the best source of info regarding work on that line?

Nevermind. I was able to find info on the upgrade. Looks like I’ll be figuring out my own diversion!

@kjslaughter -
The bus is not a bad option at all. It is non stop to Huddersfield via the Motorway so is pretty fast.
Americans need to stop thinking of the bus as bad. Coaches are used on that service, which are nothing like Greyhound.
If you are sticking to train all the way either train to Piccadilly then the City Centre free bus to Victoria from the front entrance of Picc, or tram from the airport all the way to Victoria.
Train then bus is likely to be the faster route to Victoria

Do you mean the regular coach service from Manchester to York (which appears to clock in at around 4 hours) or the replacement bus service that the train service plans to offer? I’m trying to decide if it would be easier to change our flight to LHR. I have nothing against the bus. I just don’t want to spend 4 hours on one.

I assumed the bus would be coach, so that wasn't the concern so much as an extra annoyance and having to make multiple stops while my body thinks it's 2:30 AM. I guess I was looking forward to a two hour nap on the train. I wasn't going to buy my ticket until there since I'm unsure how long it will take to get through Customs upon arrival. Do I have to buy the ticket through a machine or are agents available? Will I be able to clearly see my options through the kiosk? I would prefer fewer stops even if it means a bus ride vs. train. I did go ahead and buy a Two Together Railcard too.

As for the other reply, per Google and some UK train tables, the total trip time is still under 3 hours even with bus options. I don't think you should have to worry about a 4 hour bus ride!

National Express don't run MAN to York. The tickets they sell are coach to Leeds, a one hour transfer and then the Citybus to York.

First Nat Ex go into Manchester, then Leeds is way past Huddersfield, then there is the Leeds traffic to cope with.

The rail replacements are usually 50 minutes Man Apt to Huddersfield (but currently are being sent through Stockport so 80 mimutes), or 1 hour Man Pic to Hud. At the airport they leave from the bottom two stands at the bus station, which is an integrated building with the train station. Nat Ex/Megabus/Flixbus leave from the top 3 stands, closest to the rail ticket office, then quite a few local bus services, then Rail Replacements at the far end. There are also restrooms half way down the bus station.

There are both machines and agents. The agents are usually standing by the machines ready to assist people and the

Northern Rail machines are the most intuitive in the UK rail industry, light years ahead of those in the London area.