Northern Trains issue travel advice for fans heading to Newcastle for Super League Rugby's Magic Weekend

The league schedule moved the weekend from a September date to one earlier in the year back in 2022, and it now takes over the city on the first May Bank Holiday weekend.

The Magic Weekend is organised by rugby’s Super League in which an entire round of the competition is played over a single weekend in one stadium.

Starting in 2007, the weekend has been hosted at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Anfield in Liverpool, in addition to St James’ Park.

Fans from across Rugby League’s heartlands will be heading to the North East this weekend and Northern Trains have issued advice to those heading north.

Engineering work will affect a small number of routes for those travelling to the event, with work taking place on lines running between:

• Manchester Victoria, Newton-le-Willows and Chester/Liverpool
• Manchester and Preston via Wigan North Western
• Manchester Victoria and Clitheroe
• Leeds and Nottingham

Huddersfield station will be closed on Saturday and Sunday for works as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, so those travelling to and from Huddersfield will need to change at Brighouse for rail replacement buses.

Whilst trains on most routes will be running as normal over the weekend, Northern have said services may start later or finish earlier, so the operator is advising customers to leave plenty of time to travel and check train times before heading to the station.

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Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director for Northern, said: "We're really proud of our partnership with the Super League, and Magic Weekend is the jewel in the crown of rugby's sporting calendar.

"Just like the Super League, our trains are part of the fabric of the North, with trains stopping close to most of the Super League's home stadiums. It's a hugely important partnership for Northern, helping us to support our local communities by providing grassroots clubs with equipment and travel opportunities.

"With thousands of excited fans descending on St James' Park over the weekend, we've got extra people out about to help customers get to and from the event safely. We can't wait to welcome people from across the North to Newcastle."

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