Tuesday 15 Sep 2026
Customers reminded to plan ahead as major TRU improvement works begin this week
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
From Saturday 19 September to Sunday 4 October 2026, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) teams will deliver transformative upgrade work in the Huddersfield area. Services will be impacted throughout this period.
Engineers will be working around the clock to deliver:
- Installation of two new lines of track – this will increase capacity and reduce journey times by allowing direct services to overtake stopping services in the future
- Track and drainage renewals – this will increase the reliability of services passing through the area
- Huddersfield station upgrade – a range of works at the station including longer platforms and new track layout to facilitate longer and more frequent trains, restoration of the historic roof canopy, and subway extensions for improved accessibility
- Deighton station upgrade – installing a new footbridge with lifts for step-free access upon reopening, with new, extended platforms
- A62 Leeds Road Bridge preparation work – the bridge will be demolished and reconstructed at a later date to make it taller and wider so there is space to install overhead line equipment, which will power greener, electrified services in the future
- Signalling installation and recovery – this will improve the reliability of services
The improvements set for this stretch of railway form a key part of the wider TRU programme, which is modernising the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York to provide better journeys for customers and better connections for communities across the North.
To facilitate this series of improvement work, Huddersfield and Slaithwaite stations will be closed from Saturday 19 September until Sunday 4 October, reopening on Monday 5 October.
The railway between Stalybridge and Mirfield will also be affected during this period, with buses replacing trains at Mossley, Greenfield and Marsden stations on the weekends of 19-20 September and 3-4 October.
Customers will be kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement buses, and are advised to check before they travel at nationalrail.co.uk or with their train operator, as amended timetables will be in operation and journey times may change.
Sophie Leishman, TRU sponsor, said:
“Our latest series of improvement works will take customers a step closer to faster, more frequent services as work on doubling the number of tracks from two to four through the area ramps up. The huge transformation of both Huddersfield and Deighton stations is also progressing strongly, with the main works at Huddersfield set for completion in early 2027.
“I’d like to thank customers for their understanding as we deliver these vital upgrades.”
Liam O’Shaughnessy, TRU Programme Delivery Lead for Northern, said:
“During these works, both Northern and TransPennine Express services will be affected. From 19 September – 2 October, Northern services between Huddersfield and Sheffield will be unable to run between Huddersfield and Lockwood. From 3 - 4 October, due to other improvement works taking place in the Barnsley area, trains will be unable to run between Huddersfield and Barnsley. Replacement buses will be in operation to help customers complete their journeys throughout these works.
"To keep customers on trains as much as possible, TransPennine Express services will be diverted between Leeds and Manchester with rail replacement buses connecting customers from Huddersfield to Brighouse for onward rail connections.
“To ensure the safety of customers, the car park at Brighouse Station will be closed to most customers. Alternative parking for customers using Brighouse station will be available locally in marked on-street parking bays, or at nearby public facilities. Blue badge holders will continue to have access to designated spaces at Brighouse station car park.”
Notes to Editors
Following the completion of the 16-day closure, further work will take place at Huddersfield station to complete the main station upgrades by early 2027. This includes:
- Closures of Huddersfield station over the following weekends:
- Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2026
- Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 November 2026
- Sunday 13 December 2026
- Sunday 20 December 2026
- A 38-day closure of Huddersfield station following the final service on Thursday 24 December 2026 until Sunday 31 January 2027, reopening on Monday 1 February 2027.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a multi-billion-pound railway programme that will transform journeys across the North, better connecting towns and cities like Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
TRU fast facts
- 25% of the route is now electrified, with electric train services now running between Manchester and Stalybridge, and York and Church Fenton
- Once complete, TRU aims to halve the time lost to delays
- There are currently 70 worksites across the 70-mile route
- TRU will deliver:
- The full electrification of the line
- Double the amount of tracks in key locations, allowing fast trains to overtake stopping services
- Implement digital signalling to increase speed and capacity
- Improve all 23 stations on the route, supporting accessibility
- TRU has over 5000 staff, with 85% coming from within 40 miles of the route – TRU will have created over 8000 jobs across the duration of the programme
- TRU is expanding freight provision, opening 15 extra freight paths and widening tunnels so shipping containers can travel between ports on the east and west coasts via rail, removing over 1000 lorries a day from the busy roads across the Pennines
Key milestones to date
- New station built at Mirfield
- New station built at Morley
- Introduction of a fully accessible platform 2 at Castleford station to support diverted services between York and Manchester
- £100m upgrade of diversionary routes completed ahead of major works across the Transpennine Route, increasing railway resilience
- Upgrade of Hope Valley line complete, with a second platform built at Dore & Totley, as well as 1km of additional track at Bamford to reduce bottlenecks
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
About Network Rail
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Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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