Public invited to share their views on Transpennine rail projects

Wednesday 26 Oct 2022

Public invited to share their views on Transpennine rail projects

Region & Route:: Eastern; | Eastern: North & East

Communities across West Yorkshire are being invited to share their views on proposals for major rail upgrades, which are set to transform the region over the coming years.

A series of projects between Leeds and Micklefield – including replacing three level crossings with safer alternatives, as well as raising, reconstructing or removing a number of bridges to make way for train-powering electric wires – will eventually offer passengers better, more reliable journeys.

The proposed improvements are all part of the major, multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will bring more frequent, faster, greener trains between York, Leeds and Manchester on a better, cleaner, more reliable railway.

Lineside residents and the wider community can now get involved and share their views on the proposals via an online consultation, which is open until Friday 18 November. Visit networkrail.co.uk/leeds-micklefield to take part.

Alex Davies, Head of Consents & Environment for the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We’re really keen for communities along the route to get involved, find out all about our plans and share their thoughts. It will help us deliver a railway which not only offers better train journeys for passengers, but also considers the impact on our lineside neighbours.

“The Transpennine Route Upgrade is an ambitious and exciting project, which will truly transform train journeys in the north of England. Making good progress on our plans between Leeds and Micklefield will take us one step closer to delivering a faster, electrified railway that’s fit for the future.”

Face-to-face events will also take place, giving people the opportunity to set their questions to the project experts and view the plans in person. They’ll be held on:

Friday 28 October 2022, 4pm-7pm at Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church, Aberford Road, Garforth, LS25 1PX
Monday 7 November 2022, 4pm-7pm at Micklefield C of E Primary School, Great North Road, Micklefield, LS25 4AQ
Wednesday 9 November 2022, 4pm-7pm at The Newman Centre, Station Road, Cross Gates, LS15 7JY

The feedback will form part of a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO), which is expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport in Summer 2023. A TWAO is a legal power required for new railway infrastructure to be built outside of the existing operational railway boundary.

For further information, visit networkrail.co.uk/leeds-micklefield, email TranspennineEngagement@networkrail.co.uk or call Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is set to transform journeys across the North. We’re better connecting towns and cities through more frequent, faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway through Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

TRU will bring 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 stations
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.)
Together, these freight trains are expected to remove over 1,000 lorries off the road each day
More information is available at www.thetrupgrade.co.uk

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Louise Leighton
Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
07858 375508
louise.leighton2@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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