Today sees start of TRU rail disruption on Leeds-Huddersfield line

As part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), there will be changes to train services between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds until Friday, November 22, excluding weekends.

In the latest phase of the multi-billion-pound TRU programme, contractors will be installing the foundations and supporting masts for overhead line equipment along this section of the railway.

These upgrades are part of the wider work to fully electrify the Transpennine route.

Other upgrades include 3km of track renewals, 420m of drainage renewals and 680m of track formation improvements.

The huge TRU project has already seen some interesting developments, including massive work to Huddersfield Station's overall roof, and work to dismantle a Grade II listed cafe dating back to the 1800s piece by piece prior to its storage and reassembly. 

Work to the roof at Huddersfield Station (Image: TRU) Future work will see a number of significant bridges demolished or remodelled to create space for electric wires, with a cast iron bridge near Leeds set to have its arch raised in a painstaking effort to retain the unique structure. 

Jonathan Hepton, Sponsor on the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “The work between Dewsbury and Leeds will impact weekday services across parts of West Yorkshire, so we’d like to remind customers to plan their journey ahead of time during these dates.

“The TRU team will be working around the clock during this time as we get one step closer to delivering more frequent, faster trains running on a more reliable railway.”

Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said: “It is great to see the amount of work that’s being done to upgrade the railway here in the North. The work between Morley and Leeds will pave the way for the future electrification of a key piece of the route, while the new track and drainage renewal works will improve the reliability for years to come.

“As a result of this work, TransPennine Express won’t be able to run trains on the line through Dewsbury and Morley. To keep as many people on trains as possible, we will divert trains between Huddersfield and Leeds via Wakefield Kirkgate, increasing journey times. Rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, and all local stations in between.

“We advise customers to check before they travel. For the people who plan to travel across the Pennines, we’ll have extra staff on hand at stations to help people get from A to B.”

Passengers will be kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement buses and are advised to check before they travel at nationalrail.co.uk. Additionally, some disruption is expected on Thursday and Friday 24-25 October, as the annual Leeds Light Night returns.

The following services will be affected on weekdays from Monday 21 October to Friday 22 November

TransPennine Express services

• Liverpool Lime Street – Newcastle: This service will run to an amended timetable. It will divert between Mirfield and Leeds using the Healey Mills diversionary route, increasing journey times. It will not call at Dewsbury.
• Manchester Airport – Saltburn: This service will run to an amended timetable and will start/terminate at Manchester Victoria instead of Manchester Airport. It will divert between Mirfield and Leeds using the Healey Mills diversionary route, increasing journey times. It will not call at Dewsbury.
• Manchester Piccadilly – Hull: This service will start/terminate at Leeds instead of Manchester Piccadilly. Customers will need to change at Leeds for onward connections.
• Manchester Piccadilly – Leeds (local stopping services: Additional peak time and evening local stopping services that run between Manchester Piccadilly - Huddersfield – Leeds will only run between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield.
• Dewsbury to Leeds (direct): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Dewsbury and Leeds. The estimated journey time is 25 minutes.
• Huddersfield to Leeds (via Dewsbury): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Huddersfield and Leeds, calling only at Dewsbury. The estimated journey time is 65 minutes.
• Huddersfield – Leeds (all local stations): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Huddersfield and Leeds. This service will stop at Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, and Cottingley. The estimated journey time is 89 minutes.
• Huddersfield to Manchester Airport (via Stockport): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Manchester Airport and Huddersfield, calling only at Stockport. The estimated journey time is 80 minutes.

Northern services

• Wigan Wallgate – Leeds: This service will divert between Leeds and Sowerby Bridge, and will not call at Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Mirfield and Brighouse. This service will instead call at Bradford Interchange and Halifax.
• Halifax – Leeds: An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Halifax and Leeds, calling at Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley, and Morley. The estimated journey time is 83 minutes.