How to get to Chester from Halifax

How to Travel from Halifax to Chester?

If you're looking for travel options from Halifax to Chester, you'll be glad to know there are numerous trains operating this route daily. If you're travelling between Monday and Sunday, you'll find around 30 trains a day operating between these two destinations with routes that vary from direct trains to trains with a couple of changes along the way.

The distance covered by this journey is roughly 72 miles (115 km) and your travel time between these two destinations will be between 1h 50min and 2h 15min, depending on how many changeovers you have and how long they are. These trains are provided by a couple of companies including Northern Rail, First TransPennine Express, and Arriva Trains Wales. Unfortunately, the only way to travel from Halifax to Chester is via train. There are currently no flights or buses between these destinations.

What is the Cheapest Way To Get from Halifax to Chester?

Currently, the cheapest option way to get to Chester from Halifax is to hop on a train at Halifax railways station and head to Chester railways station. This is also the only public transport option available. You could choose to drive but it would end up being a lot more expensive. Keep in mind that there are a couple of other ways to make sure you pick up the cheapest tickets available.

Start by booking your tickets far in advance. Many of these go on sale a couple of months before the departure date and the longer you wait, the more expensive they get. Secondly, consider booking your tickets with flexible dates in mind to take advantage of different deals offered on different days. Travelling over a weekend is usually more pricey, so target weekdays, especially Monday and Tuesday. Remember to pack light to avoid any additional baggage charges you may incur when trying to board the train.

What is the Fastest Way to Travel from Halifax to Chester?

The fastest way to travel from Halifax to Chester on public transport is to take the train. The quickest train option will be a train that runs directly from Halifax railway station to Chester railway station without needing a stopover. This journey covers the distance in around 1h 50min. If you find yourself on a train with changes along the way, expect to add close to 30min to your travel time. If you're taking a direct train, your operator will be Northern Rail, so look out for those when looking for the quickest routes. If you choose a train with stopovers, your train will have changeovers at Manchester Victoria and Manchester Oxford along the way and you'll have three operators, Northern Rail, First TransPennine Express, and Arriva Trains Wales.

Find the best tickets from Halifax to Chester and book with Omio

There are a variety of ways to make sure you pick up the best deals when purchasing train tickets from Halifax to Chester. To start with, booking through Omio is the best way to get comprehensive results delivered to you on a single page. The Omio result page also gives you the chance to filter according to the cheapest price. Book with flexible dates to make sure you pick up different deals on different days. You'll also find that travelling over a weekend is usually more expensive than earlier on in the week. Another thing to do is to check out the Omio Magazine, which offers useful tips to passengers on how best to travel. Lastly, you'll want to try and book your train tickets as far in advance as possible. Train tickets typically go on sale several months in advance and the closer you get to your date of departure, the more expensive they will get.

Chester Town. Source: Shutterstock

Trains from Halifax to Chester

When taking a train from Halifax to Chester, you'll find several train companies operating this journey and offer a variety of routes that range from direct trains to routes changeovers along the way. All of the journeys, regardless of the route they take, will start with a train operated by Northern Rail. Northern Rail is a primary passenger train operator in Northern England and will take care of the first leg of your trips with multiple changeovers and the primary company for direct transfers. If you're taking a train with multiple changes, your first stop will be at Manchester Victoria, where you'll change to a First TransPennine Express train heading to Manchester Oxford Road, which is a 16min trip. ArrivaTrains Wales will be the final operator from Manchester Oxford to Chester railway station.

Train travel from Halifax to Chester with Northern Rail, First TransPennine Express and Arriva Trains Wales

Northern Rail is a primary passenger provider in the north of England and plays a vital role in the area by transporting tens of thousands of people for work, leisure, education, and much more every day. They're committed to rolling out new state-of-the-art trains with a top speed of around 100 mph (160 kph) as well as extra capacity provided for by the new fleet. Northern operates close to 30 journeys a day with direct routes or others with a couple of stopovers.

If you're taking one of the trains with two stopovers, these routes stop at two stations in Manchester and typically take around 2h 15min, while the direct trains take closer to 1h 45min. First TransPennine Express is one of the major train operating companies in the UK that provides train services in and around the North of England. They operate three routes, namely the Southern route linking Manchester and Sheffield, the Northern Route linking Manchester with Cumbria and Scotland, as well as the North-eastern Route linking Greater Manchester and Liverpool with Leeds, Hull, York, and Newcastle.

First TransPennine Express operates the second leg of your trips with changeovers. The journey with them will be from Manchester Victoria station to Manchester Oxford Road station. Arriva Trains Wales is a primary British train operating company that operates the Wales & Border franchise throughout Northern England. This train company operates the last leg of your connecting train trips from Manchester Oxford to Chester railway station.

Travel Chester. Source: Shutterstock

To Halifax by train—travel tips

Chester is a city in northwest England that was founded in the 1st century A.D as the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix. The city is most well-known for its extensive Roman walls that were created out of the local red sandstone. As such, the city comes with an extensive history and several historical sights worth exploring in and around the city. The walls of the city have large curtains of Ashlar blocks that once served as ancient defences for Deva and are bolstered by Medieval towers.

Exploring the Chester Walls should be your first stop upon arrival and well worth a walkthrough, which may just stop you in your tracks along the way. The Chester Cathedral was built close to 500 years ago and has traces of every Medieval English style of architecture that includes Perpendicular Gothic and Norman Romanesque.

The Chester Rows are well worth a visit and stand as a range of timber-framed galleries along several streets including Northgate Street, Watergate Street, Bridge Street, and Eastgate Street in the old centre of the city. If you're in the mood for some fishing or just hanging around by the water, you can explore The Groves, a lovely riverside promenade along the north bank of the Dee. If you're travelling with kids and you're looking for something for the whole family, make your way to one of the biggest and best zoos in the world, Chester Zoo.