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Thursday 28 Apr 2022

Watch: Major progress on Transpennine Route Upgrade in Manchester

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

• Major progress made to electrify the railway between Manchester and Stalybridge as two bridges are raised
• Transpennine Route Upgrade will help to create a cleaner, greener railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester
• Passengers should check before they travel this Early May Bank Holiday as work continues

Network Rail has made major progress on the Transpennine Route Upgrade in Manchester after raising two railway bridges to make way for overhead electric wires.

The bridges in Ashton-under-Lyne – Southampton Street and Granville Street – have been raised to eventually allow train-powering electric wires to pass beneath them. This will help to create a cleaner, greener railway in the future.

Work to install new overhead line equipment, upgrade signalling equipment and renew sections of track between Manchester and Stalybridge is also well underway. The ongoing project will see this part of the route fully electrified.

Newly released footage shows engineers lifting a section of Granville Street bridge and moving it to its final destination.

This Early May Bank Holiday – from Saturday 30 April until Tuesday 3 May – there will be no trains between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge as work continues. Passengers are urged to check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator.

Neil Holm, Transpennine Route Upgrade Director for Network Rail, said: “The work we’re currently doing in Manchester is a crucial step towards transforming train journeys for passengers travelling between York and Manchester.

“I’d like to thank everyone for being patient with us so far and ask passengers to plan ahead this Early May Bank Holiday as we continue this vital work.”

Buses will continue to replace Northern trains between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge over the weekend, with TransPennine Express trains to Manchester Victoria diverting into Manchester Piccadilly.

Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “As crucial improvement work continues on the Transpennine Route Upgrade this bank holiday weekend and also on weekends during May, there will be a number of service alterations for TransPennine Express services; passengers are advised to allow for additional time to travel and to check carefully for the latest travel advice before they travel on our website  www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times; updates will also be available on our social media channels. In addition, extra support will be available for passengers from Customer Delivery Managers who will be on hand to assist passengers with their journeys.”

These upgrades will also continue over the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend. Passengers can check their journey in advance at nationalrail.co.uk/Jubilee.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a multi-billion-pound programme which aims to deliver cleaner, greener journeys between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. Once complete, passengers can expect more seats, faster journey times and a more reliable, high-performing railway.

ENDS