Northern Reviews 

It’s so rare that they arrive in time. They send a message to say your due some money back. Then make it as hard as possible to return anything. Takes weeks and weeks to get any email response. Just a mess even after their unjustified pay rise!!

The Northern website to book train tickets is AWFUL. It's the only rail company that makes you complete your enquiry AGAIN after you've already done it once and selected the ticket you'd like on National Rail. You have to start all over again and not only that, it's incredibly confusing with multiple options and price points and 'these are the trains your ticket is valid on' when all you want to do is buy an off-peak return ticket. Why does it have to be so complicated and time consuming! And you are out of luck if you have less than perfect vision or you're neurodiverse but I'm guessing the person who designed the website had neither of these groups in mind when designing it. I hate having to buy Northern train tickets and so actively avoid it if possible, even if that means buying them in person at the station

We travel on the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn Train every week, today when booking our tickets I mistakenly put the incorrect date in, this was pointed out by the Conductor I paid again but I feel I must point out that on numerous occasions people with Mental Health, Drug an Alcohol Problems regularly have no valid ticket to travel, so the Conductors allow them to travel for free because they can’t be bothered with the hassle, I feel we have been treated unfairly. We don’t want any special treatment we just want to be treated the same.

Terrible service. Rush hour train at 17:30 is three carriages and running late. How they can justify such a poor service between Leeds and York is beyond me.

Poor customer service skills, they still have the reimburse me yet they’re refusing to respond to my emails

After a very long journey from Ireland starting at 3pm my final connection was a Northern train back to Stoke. Except by this time around 8pm on Sunday there were NO Northern trains going there! So my open return was in fact useless. Avanti looked at my dilemma and basically said FO. So there I was stranded in Manchester. Surely train operators should have a duty of care to customers rather that a shrug of the shoulders and basically saying well tough. Can't the operators do joined up thinking and say in this situation take our passenger safety home? And Northern need to highlight the fact they do a dissapearing act on Sundays. I have some great advertising concepts for that one.

Not only Sundays going to a train replacement, but coach driver playing dance music at 12 in morning. We did ask to turn it off but he only turned it down. Listening to repetitive noise for 45 mins. Not impressed

I arrived at Manchester Victoria having travelled from Leeds on a Northern train. In Manchester I sought the help of Northern staff to find out how I could get Handforth. They were extremely helpful, they looked up train times and sold me a ticket. Great customer service, thank you.

I almost never write reviews because I don't like wasting my time and energy on them. However, Northern should not be allowed to get away with this without being called out.
Before I could even submit a compensation claim, Northern wanted me to create an account and hand over my personal details. Apparently, providing a terrible service isn't enough — they also want to make getting your money back as frustrating as possible.
It doesn't surprise me in the slightest to see Northern's awful rating on Trustpilot. This company is an absolute disgrace.
My return journey was delayed from start to finish. Then, when we reached the second-to-last stop, passengers were informed that the train could not continue because there was no driver available. How does a train operator not have a driver for its own train? It's beyond incompetent.
Delays, cancellations, strikes, overcrowded trains and inflated ticket prices are not exceptions with Northern — they are the standard experience. Reliability is practically non-existent. Buying a ticket feels more like placing a bet than paying for public transport.
What makes it even worse is that after ruining your journey they don't even offer a full refund. Instead, you're expected to jump through hoops, fill out forms and fight through a compensation process just to recover part of the money you paid for a service they failed to provide properly.
Passengers are treated with complete disregard while Northern continues charging ridiculous prices for a service that consistently fails to meet even the most basic standards.
I genuinely hope this company goes bankrupt. After years of delays, cancellations, disruption, strikes and poor management, that would be the minimum consequence they deserve. Companies that provide such a poor service while showing so little respect for their customers should not be rewarded.
Northern has completely lost my trust and I would strongly advise anyone to avoid them whenever another option exists.
One of the worst companies I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. Even 1 star feels far too generous.
Also I ended up paying a taxi to get home as it was quiet late.

Shout out to the great staff of Northern rail today!
I was travelling from Knaresborough to Harrogate and because the ticket machine wasn't working and I had no internet I was distracted looking for the train conductor to purchase a ticket and left my rucksack on the Knaresborough platform. As soon as the train set off I realised what I had done and sought advice from the conductor Simon who was lovely and told me to speak to the train supervisor once I got to Harrogate station. As I entered the station supervisors office, I could hear him on the phone about an abandoned bag which had been spotted by the signal man Tim at the Knaresborough Station. Tim ensured that the bag was put on the next train to Harrogate and Alex the station Supervisor very kindly retrieved the rucksack from the incoming train and gave me it back. Such a relief. Thanks so much again to Alex, Simon and Tim for going the extra mile and reuniting me with my bag!
Jane

Yet another modern day garbage company that uses impossible to steer through, online rubbish, and that goes for Trainline too, who, having had their cut of the train ticket, merely informed me that I was due compensation, then left it at that. Northern, meanwhile, have a FIVE step process to apply for compensation, and it's impossible to get passed part two! I uploaded the ticket proof screenshot, and then it just started doing the inevitable round-and-round in circles trick, no doubt to put you off applying. I absolutely HATE these time-wasting companies, and they should get done for the exasperation they cause. Total rubbish!

Limit trains to two bikes which is pointless because it's stopping kids from getting home and their trains are always delayed.

Delayed 25 mins at Hull due to lack of driver. Apologetic but unhelpful, defensive conductor. Missed connection at Doncaster as a result. Train was filthy also, no pride.

Train is absolutely disgusting and has an awful smell.

It’s like living in the past when you step on these trains, run down rubbish, seats like concrete, can’t charge phone as there’s no plugs, very poor company,

The worst train service in the uk, quite possibly the world. If you ever want to arrive to places on time, avoid this company completely! They’ll be over an hour late for every single train and then offer a £1 refund from ‘the goodness of their heart’. Northern deserves to go into bankruptcy, DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY! They’ll take it and laugh in your face. -100/10

Used their app today to purchase tickets as usual. Im a bit of a rush so I bought a single instead of a return. Hadn't used the ticket, attempted to get the return added or my single canceled and refunded to buy the return, but this was only possible for a £5 admin fee!
Very little understanding or support to rectify my simple mistake that was noticed by me and raised within 30 seconds of the purchase.
Awful service, unfair and unreasonable.

The staff were so rude dont go on northern

FROM OUR JOURNEY TO BLACKPOOL AND BACK NORTHERN RAIL STAFF WERE AMAZING WITH MY DISABLED WIFE THERE HELP WAS SUPERB HELPING HER ON AND OFF TRAINS THEY WENT BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS WELL DONE TO ALL THE STAFF FROM MAULDETH ROAD OXFORD ROAD OXFORD ROAD TO NORTH SHORE AND THE RETURN HOME 100 PER CENT BRILLIANT WELL DONE NORTHERN RAIL STAFF AND A BIG THANK YOU GUYS

Yet again train cancelled at short notice. Had two announcements of delays followed by the inevitable cancellation. How this lot are allowed to run a rail service is a mystery. Absolutely useless