New funding boost for Transpennine Route Upgrade

Friday 28 Mar 2025

New funding boost for Transpennine Route Upgrade

Region & Route:: Eastern

The Prime Minister today announced the latest tranche of funding for the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).

This additional investment of £415m will enable further progress on the multi-billion-pound programme, ensuring the delivery of faster, more frequent, and greener rail services between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York.

Beyond the transport improvements, TRU is unlocking significant social and economic benefits for the region. Thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships are being created, local businesses are benefiting from supply chain opportunities and the shift towards greener transport will reduce carbon emissions by up to 87,000 tonnes each year.

James Richardson, Managing Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said:

“The government’s continued support for TRU is a clear vote of confidence in the work we are doing, which is an enabler to releasing the economic potential of the North. This funding supports our onward journey to be truly transformational, delivering faster, more reliable rail services that connect people to jobs, education, and leisure opportunities.

“By improving connectivity and increasing capacity, we are not only enhancing journeys for customers but also helping to drive up investment supporting more housing and more jobs and boosting productivity across the region.”

The TRU programme is delivering:

More frequent services – up to six fast trains per hour between Leeds and Manchester, plus improved local stopping services.
Faster journeys – Manchester to York in as little as 63 minutes, and Manchester to Leeds in 41 minutes.
Greener travel – full route electrification, reducing reliance on diesel and supporting Net Zero ambitions.
Improved stations – enhancements at key stations will provide a better travel experience and increased accessibility for all passengers.
More freight capacity – enabling up to 15 extra freight trains per day, removing over 1,000 lorries from the roads.

With this latest announcement, it takes the programme to £7.3bn of approved funding and moves TRU even closer to delivering a modern, high-performing railway, that better connects communities across the North. By enhancing capacity, reliability and sustainability, the programme is improving journeys for passengers, and strengthening the region’s economic future.

As work progresses, this transformative Transpennine Route Upgrade will play a vital role in unlocking new opportunities, supporting local businesses and helping create a more prosperous and better-connected North for generations to come.

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 half way mark of employing 590 apprentices has already been achieved, with 358 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, 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
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

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Journalists
Ewan Bayliss
Communications Executive
Network Rail
ewan.bayliss@networkrail.co.uk

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