Thursday 12 Oct 2023
Grand Final game plan: Tackle your travel arrangements with confidence
Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is reminding passengers travelling to the Super League Grand Final this weekend to plan their journey ahead of time, as crucial track upgrades take place
Throughout October, engineers working on the multi-billion-pound project will excavate ballast (railway stone) to create new track beds, replace approximately 650 meters of railway tracks and install new drainage systems.
To complete these major upgrades, while also ensuring fans get to the big game, Transpennine Route Upgrade partners Northern and Transpennine Express are implementing a number of service changes. This means that some trains will be diverted and others replaced with buses.
Gareth Hope, Sponsor for the Transpennine Route Upgrade said: "We understand how important key sporting events like this are to fans, and have made every effort to minimise impact where possible.
The work being completed is a crucial component of our broader upgrades, not only allowing for faster and greener train travel, but also improving service reliability in the future.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while the work takes place. I encourage anyone travelling to the Super League Grand Final to plan their journey ahead of time via www.nationalrailenquiries.co.uk or their train operator website, as some journey’s may take longer than usual”.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express said: “The improvement work taking place throughout October is essential to the modernisation of our railways, helping deliver a faster, more reliable service between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.”
“Due to this work, there will be service alternations in place with fewer of our services able to run between Leeds and Manchester and rail replacement buses in operation between Huddersfield and Manchester on the day of the Super League Grand Final. We’d like to thank our customers in advance for their patience while this essential work takes place. Customers are advised to check the Transpennine Express website for the latest service changes before they travel: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/planned-engineering-work; updates will also be available on our social media channels."
Notes to Editors
TRU benefits
About Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU): Transpennine Route Upgrade is a major railway improvement project focused on transforming rail travel between key cities and towns across the Pennines. Our goal is to enhance your journey by providing a cleaner, greener, and more reliable railway system. For more information, visit www.theTRUpgrade.co.uk.
Service impact:
- Liverpool Lime Street – Hull: Services will only run between Huddersfield and Hull. Customers travelling from Hull for Manchester/Liverpool should change at Leeds.
- Liverpool Lime Street – Newcastle: Services will divert on the Calder Valley route between Dewsbury and Manchester Victoria and will not call at Huddersfield. These services will call additionally at Lea Green.
- Manchester Airport – Saltburn: This service will only run between Manchester Victoria and Saltburn. Services will also divert on the Calder Valley route between Dewsbury and Manchester Victoria and will not call at Huddersfield.
- Manchester Piccadilly – York – Scarborough: A shuttle service will only run between York – Scarborough. Customers will need to change at York for onward connections.
- Huddersfield – Manchester Piccadilly (local stopping service): This service will not run.
- Leeds – Huddersfield (local stopping service): This service will run as normal.
Rail replacement buses:
- Huddersfield - Manchester Piccadilly (semi-fast):Buses will run every 15 minutes directly between Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly. Approx journey time: 60 mins.
- Huddersfield - Manchester Piccadilly (all stops):An hourly bus will run between Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly calling at all stations. Additional peak time buses will also run to match the normal rail service. Approx journey time: 95 mins.
- Huddersfield - Manchester Airport:An hourly bus service will run between these two stations, calling at Stockport. Approx journey time: 80 mins.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Alec Herron
+447809377569
alec.herron@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
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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