Thursday 6 Apr 2023
First electric trains on Transpennine Route Upgrade in sight, as Stalybridge station reopens
The Transpennine Route Upgrade continues to build towards the future of electric rail travel in the North, as industry leaders hail the latest upgrade work at Stalybridge station.
Engineers worked around the clock over 26-days to complete their largest phase of work to date, including a full junction remodelling, installing over 2km of new track and 23 new signals, upgrading 13 crossovers and fitting new overhead line equipment for future electrification, which will improve journeys along this key route.
Rail Minister, Huw Merriman said: “Our multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade will transform our railways for generations to come and this major piece of work at Stalybridge station is just another way we’re investing to improve rail in the North.
“These vital works will support economic growth, connect communities and deliver faster, greener and more reliable services across the region''
The multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade is set to revolutionise rail travel in the North, better connecting towns and cities through more frequent, faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway.
Hannah Lomas, Industry Programme Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We'd like to say a big "thank you" to passengers for bearing with us while we did this work; it means that trains will be able to move through Stalybridge station faster and more reliably.
"This is just one component of the wider Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will electrify the whole route between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and Leeds, bringing the line into the 21st century with 70 miles of fully electric, digital railway."
Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: "We're really grateful to all of our customers for their patience throughout this 26-day closure of the line between Manchester and Stalybridge. The work that has taken place will allow us to run electric trains to Stalybridge in the near future, meaning faster, greener and more reliable trains for everybody."
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “Completing the 26-day upgrade work at Stalybridge is a fantastic achievement for the cross-industry teams who have worked tirelessly to deliver this important work.
“It takes us another step closer towards this once-in-a-generation rail project which will enable more frequent trains between Manchester and York – running on a cleaner, greener, more reliable railway.
“We’d like to thank customers for their patience and cooperation during the work. Follow up work at Stalybridge continues during the weekends up until May; customers are therefore reminded to check the latest changes to our services before they travel on our website www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times.”
Additional follow up work will also take place at Stalybridge on 15/16 April, 22/23 April, 29/30 April and 20/21 May. Passengers should check before they travel for the latest updates.
Notes to Editors
We’re transforming journeys across the North, better connecting towns and cities through
more frequent, faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway.
TRU will bring passengers:
• More trains to choose from and more seats. Our improvements will enable more
trains to run 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.
• Faster journeys so you can travel to your favourite towns and cities more quickly.
Our fastest journey times are forecast to be 63-66 minutes between Manchester
and York and 41-42 minutes between Manchester and Leeds.
• More reliable journeys with trains that run on-time.
• Better stations across the Transpennine route, bringing passengers a better travel
experience through improved, more accessible stations.
• Greener travel, reducing our carbon footprint and improving air quality. Our plans
aim to save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – supporting the
government’s Net Zero objectives. We’re also developing a proposal to move more
goods by rail (up to 15 more freight trains each day.)
• Together, these freight trains are expected to remove over 1,000 lorries off the
road each day.
TRU will bring local communities:
• Jobs for local people. Our workforce will be local, with 80% employment from
within a 40-mile radius of the route, and 60% employment from within a 25-mile
radius. With a current workforce of around 2000 people, we estimate that could
double over the course of the programme. We’ll employ an apprentice for every
£4million spent.
• 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 76-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, to help
keep passengers and freight moving while the core Transpennine route is closed to
deliver essential upgrades. This will provide capacity and reliability improvements for future too.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
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Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
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alec.herron@networkrail.co.uk
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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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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