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Wednesday 5 Apr 2023

Passengers kept moving by train during major Easter upgrade work between Leeds and York

Region & Route:

Eastern

As part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, we will be carrying out a series of improvements between Leeds and Neville Hill on Easter Sunday - and the newly-reinforced line through Castleford will help us keep passengers moving while we carry out this work.

Teams of engineers will install new overhead line equipment and two new pipelines beneath the track to safely carry signalling cables beneath the line. They will also be carrying out surveys of the ground and structures along the railway.

This essential work will allow the future re-modelling of the track layout and support the electrification of the line east of Leeds, enabling faster, quieter, greener and more frequent trains on this key line linking the cities of York, Leeds and Manchester.

Passengers can keep their plans on track while this work takes place throughout Easter Sunday (Sunday 9 April) as the majority of trains between Leeds and York, and Leeds and Hull will continue to run via the Castleford route, with rail replacement buses serving local intermediate stations between Leeds and York, and Leeds and Selby, to ensure people can get to and from where they want to go.

People planning to catch the train should check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or their train operator for the latest updates.

Over the last two years, the Castleford line has undergone major work to make it more resilient, with new track, improved signalling and a new entrance in and out of Holbeck depot to remove congestion and increase capacity. The improvements will be on show this Easter as the line is used as a vital diversion route, carrying an additional two trains per hour.

Hannah Lomas, Industry Programme Director for Network Rail said:

“It’s great to see the years of improvement work on the Castleford line come into use, allowing us to complete these essential upgrades on Easter Sunday while also allowing passengers to continue travelling by train.

“The new and improved route will act as a vital diversion now and into the future as we deliver faster, cleaner, more frequent journeys for passengers travelling between York, Leeds and Manchester.”

Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said:

“The work taking place this Easter is vital to the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme and will lead to a number of service alterations. We will do all we can to keep customers on the move, and the plan is to divert our trains via the upgraded Castleford route.

 “Customers are advised to allow additional time to travel and to check carefully for the latest travel advice on our website: www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times; updates will also be available on our social media channels. Additional staff will also be on hand at key stations to kelp make customers journeys as smooth as possible.”

Notes to Editors:

The work to deliver the infrastructure improvements on the Eastern part of the route between York and Leeds is being carried out by the Transpennine Route Upgrade East Alliance, comprising Network Rail, J. Murphy & Sons, Siemens, Systra and VolkerRail.