London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has announced it will introduce a new direct train service linking Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent with Manchester Airport from May.
The hourly service will run between Birmingham New Street and Manchester Airport and call at stations in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Cheshire, giving holidaymakers a direct rail route to the major airport for the first time in decades. Sandbach and Holmes Chapel will both benefit from the service.
Currently, those travelling to the airport from the West Midlands must change at Crewe, Wilmslow or via Manchester city centre in order to complete their journey.
The route will be rolled out in two phases. Phase one will see a new service introduced between Birmingham and Crewe from Sunday, 13th December and phase two will extend this service to Manchester Airport from May next year.
From December, the new route between Birmingham and Crewe will start serving 12 stations, including Darlaston and Willenhall which first opened in March 2026.
In May 2027, LNR will extend the service to Manchester Airport via four stations Sandbach and Holmes Chapel, as well as Wilmslow and Styal.
Manchester Airport is the third-largest in the country by passenger numbers, with more than 200 destinations in four continents served by over 50 airlines.
The airport serves a number of long-haul destinations that are unserved by any other UK airport outside London, with routes to New York, Atlanta, Toronto, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai and Islamabad, as well as major cities across Europe.
It has recently completed a decade-long, 1.5bn investment in Terminal Two.
Denise Wetton, integrated managing director for GBR West Midlands and LNR managing director, said: “We are excited to launch this new service, which will provide direct connectivity to Manchester Airport from the West Midlands for the first time in decades.
“Through close collaboration with Network Rail, Transport for Greater Manchester, Northern and Transport for West Midlands, we are excited to open up greener, simpler travel options for visitors to the airport, making rail the best choice for holidaymakers in the West Midlands.
“Not only that, this new route will deliver extra services for our existing customers across Birmingham, the Black Country and Staffordshire, providing more choice for when you travel. We look forward to inviting passengers on board, starting from December.
Chris Woodroofe, managing director at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re proud to serve more than 32 million passengers every year, including millions from the West Midlands and Staffordshire in the last 12 months.
“This new service is great news for them, but also for long-haul travellers from the region who might currently fly indirectly from other airports, or face a long journey to the South East.
“This service will create the first direct rail link between the West Midlands and Manchester Airport for decades and open up more options for people to reach us by public transport. In turn, it gives those travellers access to our huge global network of destinations, unrivalled in the UK outside London.”
Tricia Williams, managing director at Northern, which serves Congleton, Holmes Chapel and Sandbach, said: “This new service is a great step forward for passengers travelling between the West Midlands and the North West.
“Our teams at Northern have worked closely with London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Greater Manchester and Network Rail throughout its development, and it’s fantastic to see that collaboration deliver real benefits, both for holidaymakers heading to Manchester Airport and for the communities we serve along the way.
“This is a great example of what we can deliver together as we move towards Great British Railways. We’re pleased to support this new service, which will make journeys simpler and more sustainable for passengers across the North and Midlands.”
Adam Jogee MP, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, said: “The announcement is a brilliant step forward for the connectivity of our area, for families heading off on their holidays, and for the offer we present internationally.
“Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire have a brilliant offer for investors and global businesses, but that offer is only as strong as the ability to get here.
“This is great news for our area, and I was delighted to be at Manchester Airport alongside representatives from the rail operators and the airport to mark the announcement. Indeed, the journey there and the struggle for parking highlighted just what a major, urgently needed improvement this will be for those of us who live, learn and work in Newcastle-under-Lyme.”
The new route from May 2027 will call at 17 stations including Longport, Kidsgrove, Alsager, Crewe, Sandbach, Holmes Chapel and Wilmslow.
LNR is owned by WM Trains, which was brought into public ownership in February 2026.
