Work on Transpennine Route Upgrade will start transforming Kirklees railways over the next few months
Over the next few months, Network Rail will begin substantial work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade in and around Kirklees.
What is the Transpennine Route Upgrade?
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is Network Rail’s multibillion-pound programme of railway improvements. The improvements are set to bring better journeys to passengers travelling between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
The improvements will take place over the next few years. Improvements will result in more regular trains with more capacity – helping strengthen Kirklees’ links with the rest of the north.
While the TRU will mean disruption to our railways over the coming years, we’re excited about how it will transform our connectivity and bring more opportunities to our area through better links with Manchester, Leeds and beyond.
What’s happening over the next few months?
The next stages of work for the TRU focus on Morley and Stalybridge, both of which connect with some of our key routes through Kirklees.
Network Rail have informed us that journeys between Manchester and Leeds will be heavily disrupted on the below dates. We’d advise you to plan your journeys in advance. Network Rail is working with Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and other train operators to make journeys as easy as possible despite the disruption.
Between Huddersfield and Leeds
On 28 and 29 January, then between 4 and 12 February, work will be taking place at Morley Station to improve the track, platform and surrounding drainage. This work will result in Morley Station catering for longer trains with more seating available.
During this time, no trains will run directly between Huddersfield and Leeds. Network Rail have arranged several alternatives for people needing to make this journey:
- Trains between Huddersfield and Leeds will be diverted via Wakefield, adding up to 15mins to the journey time
- Three rail replacement bus services will run, offering the same options as the regular train routes:
- An express route between Huddersfield and Leeds, calling at Dewsbury only
- An additional express service just between Dewsbury and Leeds
- A regular rail replacement bus, calling at all stops (covering Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley and Cottingley)
Please note that rail replacement bus services on 28 January may be impacted by planned protests in Leeds and Huddersfield, due to their close proximity to both stations.
Between Huddersfield and Manchester
Once work at Morley is completed, Network Rail will move onto improvements at Stalybridge in Greater Manchester. These will include remodelling a major junction, installing more than 2,000m of new track, and upgrading lots of crossings and signals.
As well as greater capacity on our trains – which we know Kirklees residents are very eager for – this work will also result in a much better experience for passengers in the long run. We’ll end up with a fully electric, digital railway stretching all the way from Manchester to York, making this heavily used route much more fit for the future.
During this work, the bulk of which will take place over a 26-day period between March and April, no trains will run between Huddersfield and Manchester.
- 18 to 19 February
- 25 to 26 February
- 4 to 5 March
- 11 March to 6 April
- 15 to 16 April
- 22 to 23 April
- 29 to 30 April
- 20 to 21 May
A mixture of rail diversions and rail replacement buses have been organised throughout these dates, which are detailed on Network Rail’s TRU website under upcoming closures.
Throughout the main bulk of work, Network Rail staff will be working onsite at Stalybridge 24 hours a day to complete this stage of the project as quickly as possible.
How can I find out more?
If you’d like to know more about the Transpennine Route Upgrade and any of these planned works, you can check out the TRU website or reach out to Network Rail’s TRU team.