Media centre

Wednesday 28 May 2025

Five weekends of rail upgrade work between Leeds and York

Region & Route:

Eastern

Customers are being urged to check before they travel with services impacted between Leeds and York on five consecutive weekends, starting on Saturday 7 June.

On the weekends of 7-8 June, 14-15 June, 21-22 June, 28-29 June, and 5-6 July, trains between Leeds and York, and Leeds and Selby, will be diverted via Castleford. TRU’s Enterprise approach, which has meant full integration with train operators TransPennine Express and Northern, means that the majority of customers will be kept on trains through diversionary routes.

Local stations will be served by rail replacement buses. Weekday services remain unaffected.

Across the five weekends, teams will start work on the next phase of electrification between Church Fenton and Leeds, with the first overhead wires being installed along a 6km section of the line through Barkston Ash and Huddleston, which will supply the power for faster, greener electric trains in the future. 

Cross Gates Station Road bridge will be demolished on the weekend of 14-15 June, before the new bridge framework and bridge deck is moved into position by crane on the weekend of 5-6 July. This will allow overhead line equipment to be fitted through the station and beyond, which means cleaner, greener, electrified services for customers in the future – once electrification is complete across the entire route, it is estimated that 108,000 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved every year.

Further bridge construction will also take place on the weekend of 5-6 July near Church Fenton, when girders for the new Rose Lane highway bridge will be installed over the railway line. When complete, this new bridge will enable three private level crossings to be closed and replaced with a safer alternative.

On the weekends of 21-22 and 28-29 June, engineers will be renewing 750m of track between Cross Gates and Killingbeck to provide smoother, more reliable journeys for customers; and installing a new set of track points to enable trains to change from one line to another, which will help to keep customers moving by train during a future stage of the programme.

 

Adam Sellers, Senior Sponsor for TRU, said:

“This series of weekend upgrades will see us make progress on projects that will provide huge benefits for rail users – track renewals will make journeys smoother and more reliable, whilst major work on Cross Gates bridge takes us a step closer to electrification.

“The demolition of the bridge in Cross Gates also means that Station Road will be closed to traffic in both directions between 12-16 June and 3-7 July. Road diversions will be in place, so we suggest visiting roadworks.org to plan your journey. Pedestrian access and access to businesses will remain in place throughout.

“Our teams are making great strides throughout the North, and the upcoming weekend work throughout Yorkshire will help us deliver better train travel throughout the region and across the Pennines.”

 

Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said:

“It’s great to see that the work is progressing well between Leeds and York, which takes us closer to a fully electrified line that will benefit our customers and the areas we serve for years to come.

“On these five weekends, TPE services will run to an amended timetable, with services between Leeds and York diverted via Castleford to keep customers on trains as much as possible.

“Please be aware that on the weekends of 7-8, 14-15 June and 5-6 July, TRU work will also take place between Manchester and Dewsbury, so please check before you travel.”