Work progresses on next phase of Transpennine Route Upgrade

Work is set to begin on the next phase of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which is set to prove travel times, capacity and reliability on the key intercity rail route from Greater Manchester to Leeds and York.

Network Rail is warning passengers that services running between Huddersfield and Leeds in West Yorkshire are set to be affected by the works between Monday 26th May and Friday 20th June, with diversionary routes and replacement buses in operation.

TRU engineers will complete a series of major upgrades including track renewals, which will help enable faster, more reliable trains in the future.

Overhead line equipment (OLE) foundation installations will also be carried out, enabling electrification to power cleaner, greener trains in the future.

Work to a number of bridges and tunnels will also be completed, whilst site preparation continues at Dewsbury station to facilitate the extension of the platforms, so that longer trains with more seats can stop at the station in the future.

Andrew Campbell, Sponsor for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said:

“This series of work will impact services on both weekdays and weekends, at different points of the route, so I’d encourage customers to plan their journeys in advance at nationalrail.co.uk.

“The upcoming period is key for TRU, where a wide range of upgrades across West Yorkshire will bring us a step closer to faster, more frequent trains with more seats through the area and beyond.”

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), a £10.7 billion rail programme to improve intercity connections in the North of England. 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 is also set to link with a proposed new rail link between Manchester and Liverpool.