Transpennine Route Upgrade reaches latest milestone

The Transpennine Route Upgrade, improving rail connectivity between Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and York, has reached its latest milestone in full electrification of the railway.

Following five consecutive weekends of work, engineers have installed 7.5 km of wiring between Micklefield in West Yorkshire, and Church Fenton, near York, which will unlock faster, greener journeys across the region. electric passenger services between York and Church Fenton are set to launch in the coming months, following last year’s successful switch-on between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.

Around 750 m of track was also renewed along the route, which will support smoother, more reliable travel. A new track crossover was also installed to allow trains to change from one line to another, which will enable the programme to keep more people moving on trains during a future stage of TRU delivery.

Adam Sellers, senior sponsor for TRU, said:

“This latest series of upgrades has taken us a step closer to the electrification of the route between York and Manchester. Wiring is now in place in the Barkston Ash area, whilst Cross Gates station can now facilitate the installation of OLE masts.

“Work to deliver cleaner, greener services throughout this area will continue throughout the year, whilst attention also turns to the introduction of electric passenger services nearby, which is another huge milestone for the programme.”

The delivery of these upgrades was made possible through a full closure of the line between Leeds and York, with close coordination between train operators including TransPennine Express and Northern. The full TRU aims to bring the rail line from Manchester to York via Leeds into the 21st century, with full electrification and digital signalling. Once complete, the improvements will allow for more trains between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York with up to six fast services every hour between Leeds and Manchester and up to two stopping services for local connectivity.

Freight services will also improve under the programme, with up to 15 more freight trains per day able to use the upgraded route, which will also link with a proposed new rail link between Manchester and Liverpool.