Friday 2 Feb 2024
Passengers reminded of major railway improvements between Huddersfield and Leeds in February
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
Passengers are being urged to check before they travel from Monday 19 to Friday 23 February, as engineering work will impact rail services between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds.
The upgrades being carried out are part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), a multi-billion-pound programme of railway upgrades that will enable faster, more reliable, greener services for customers travelling across the Pennines.
Track drainage and platform work will be carried out in the Morley area, whilst in Dewsbury engineers will be working on replacing and enhancing telecommunications networks to enable future signalling system improvements.
Jonathan Hepton, Sponsor on the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “The TRU team will be working around the clock to carry out these essential works, as we focus on upgrades on the railway at Morley and other locations in the Batley and Dewsbury areas.”
“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding as these upgrades are delivered and would like to remind them to check before they travel.”
For these vital upgrades to be facilitated, train services will be re-routed and will not call at all stations. TransPennine Express and Northern will keep passengers on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement buses.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director at TransPennine Express, said: “The work around Morley and Dewsbury is essential for the delivery of more reliable services for our customers, as well as the delivery of the upgraded Morley station.
“We will be running an amended timetable on our North route while these improvement works are being carried out, diverting trains between Huddersfield and Leeds. Rail replacement buses will also be in place to keep customers on the move for more local journeys. We'd like to advise customers to check before they travel.”
Additionally, on 17/18 and 24/25 February, engineers will be completing upgrades around Huddersfield – customers are advised to plan their journey ahead of time if travelling by train during these periods.
These upgrades bring us one step closer to a better railway serving the new Morley station and at other locations in the Dewsbury and Batley area, with wider benefits across the entire Transpennine Route to create a cleaner, greener, and more reliable railway that will bring improved connectivity and travel experiences to passengers travelling between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
Notes to Editors
Changes to Services during Mon 19 Feb to Friday 23 Feb:
TransPennine Express:
• Services between Huddersfield – Leeds will be diverted and will not run through Dewsbury.
• Rail replacement bus services will replace services between Huddersfield – Dewsbury – Leeds.
• Services from Hull will start/terminate at Leeds.
• Services from Saltburn to Manchester Airport will start/terminate at Manchester Victoria.
• Rail replacement buses will operate between Huddersfield – Manchester Airport via Stockport
Northern:
• Services between Leeds – Wigan via Brighouse
will be diverted and will not run through Dewsbury.
• Rail replacement bus services will run between
Halifax – Brighouse – Dewsbury – Leeds
TRU will bring better journeys for 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 station.
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), taking lorries off the road. 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.
Improved natural environments near the railway through 10% biodiversity net gain across the route. This will create or enhance habitats for wildlife.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Ewan Bayliss
Communications Executive
Network Rail
ewan.bayliss@networkrail.co.uk
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