Tuesday 29 Apr 2025
Calder Road to be temporarily closed in Ravensthorpe whilst new bridge beams are installed
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
From 7pm on Friday 16 May until 6am on Monday 19 May, Calder Road – along with Ravensthorpe station access road – will be closed to vehicles to facilitate Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work in the area.
The road will remain open to pedestrians throughout the work, including the station access road until the last train on Friday evening. Nearby Huddersfield Road and Saville Road can be used as diversionary routes for vehicles.
Fall Lane and Thornhill Road, which are both currently shut for utilities work until June, will reopen temporarily for this weekend to ease congestion.
The closure will allow TRU engineers to install several pre-cast concrete beams to form the deck of a new bridge on Calder Road, which will become operational in 2026.
With additional railway lines planned to be installed through the station as part of TRU, the bridge will ultimately align with this new track and a new road layout on Calder Road. This will enable the fast and slow lines of track to be separated and make journeys faster and more reliable for passengers.
A total of 20 pre-cast concrete beams are being installed as part of the work, 18 of which will weigh 28 tonnes, with the remaining two beams weighing 78 tonnes each.
Work has been taking place over recent months to construct the abutments and wing walls of the new bridge, before the concrete beams are installed over the May weekend.
Whilst the construction of the new bridge is a key project, it’s only a small part of the wider TRU upgrades taking place in the area – Ravensthorpe triangle – home to one of the biggest civil engineering site in the country.
TRU is building an entirely new station in Ravensthorpe, 200m away from its current position, which will have step-free access and a footbridge with lifts, a new forecourt area and drop-off facilities.
The station’s move to an island platform will also allow for longer trains with more seats to stop in Ravensthorpe, whilst a new viaduct and fly-over will enable faster trains to overtake slower ones.
Andrew Campbell, Sponsor for TRU, said:
“We appreciate there is no ideal time to close a road, so would like to thank the local community in advance for their patience as we complete vital work that will support better rail travel throughout the area and beyond.
“Advance warning signage will be in place on roads, along with signposted diversion routes with clear directions of alternative routes to take, whilst road users can also visit roadworks.org for further details.”
Notes to Editors
- Our workforce is local, with 80% employment from within a 40-mile radius of the route, and 60% employed from within a 25-mile radius.
- With a current workforce of around 5000 people, we expect to employ 8000 people over the length of the programme.
- The halfway mark of employing 590 apprentices has already been achieved, with over 350 now working on TRU
- Improved natural environments near the railway through 10% biodiversity net gain across the route. This will create or enhance habitats for wildlife.
- The multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will bring this line into the 21st century with 70-miles of fully electric, digital railway.
Our plans include:
- Electrifying the whole route between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and
Leeds - Installing a new digital signalling system along the Transpennine route
- Doubling the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and
Westtown in Dewsbury. - Station improvements along the route to enhance customer experience, comfort
and accessibility - Improving the railway on diversionary routes to allow more trains to run, helping
passengers and freight on the move while the core Transpennine route is closed to
deliver essential upgrades. This will provide capacity and reliability improvements
for the future too.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Ewan Bayliss
Communications Executive
Network Rail
ewan.bayliss@networkrail.co.uk
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