Further plans announced to improve Transpennine rail journeys between West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester

Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, has confirmed plans to build a new maintenance facility in West Yorkshire as part of the £3.9 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade to improve rail journeys between Leeds and Greater Manchester.

Around £100 million will be provided to deliver the Shipley TrainCare Centre, which will provide extra resilience to the North of England’s rail network. Construction is set to begin later this year on the site, which will be home for Northern’s electric fleet of trains serving routes in the region, and will bring essential maintenance closer to the Transpennine Route to improve reliability for passengers travelling between cities in the North.

Speaking in Shipley to announce the project, Rail Minister Huw Merriman said:

“It’s great to be returning to West Yorkshire with another significant announcement to boost rail travel for passengers across the North, demonstrating this Government’s plan to investing in infrastructure and support the region’s huge potential for growth.

“Today marks my fourth visit to Bradford and its surrounding areas in the past five months, with this investment creating new jobs and more reliable services as we accelerate our multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade to transform rail journeys for generations to come.”

Neil Holm, Managing Director of Transpennine Route Upgrade said:

“We’re delighted to reveal our plans for this major investment in Shipley, demonstrating the Transpennine Route Upgrade’s commitment to supporting local communities and creating local jobs.

“This brand new depot will support rail services while we carry out essential improvements and will also leave long-lasting legacy benefits for the town going forward.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said:

“We’re delighted to announce this investment in our brand new TrainCare Centre for Shipley. As the future home for most of our electric train fleets for West Yorkshire, the new site will bring a wealth of highly-skilled jobs into the region, as well as providing resilience for our network across the North.

“It will play a key part in helping us to deliver our plans for the Transpennine Route Upgrade and beyond.”

The Transpennine Route Upgrade project underpins the delivery of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network between cities in the North, which the Government recently strengthened its support for by pledging a further £12 billion into its delivery to better connect Liverpool and Manchester through reallocation of cancelled HS2 spending. The Transpennine Route Upgrade followed by NPR demonstrates the government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure to improve rail connections right across the North of England.