Transpennine Route Upgrade lays 2km of new track in 16-day Huddersfield closure

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has installed two new lines of track through Huddersfield during a 16-day closure that ended on Sunday 4 October, Network Rail said, with a 38-day blockade of the station to follow at Christmas.

Engineers worked around the clock from Saturday 19 September at Huddersfield and Deighton stations and on the railway between them, according to Network Rail. The two new lines account for more than 2km of track and will allow faster services to overtake stopping trains.

Teams also renewed more than 1.3km of existing track and over 900m of drainage, installed signalling, and put up more than 50 overhead line equipment masts and over 50 steel structures for future electrification.

Liam O'Shaughnessy, TRU programme delivery lead for Northern, said: "The work that has been completed over the last 16 days in the Huddersfield area is another crucial step towards delivering the benefits that the Transpennine Route Upgrade will bring for customers across the North."

The stations

At Huddersfield, the work covered platform extensions, further restoration of the station's historic roof canopy and extension of the subway. Network Rail said in August that the subway would be extended towards platforms 4, 5 and 6, which are being remodelled to take longer trains with more seats.

The station is a Grade I listed building, designed by Yorkshire architect James Pigott Pritchett and part-opened in 1847, according to the TRU programme. It is managed by TransPennine Express and is running on platforms 1, 2 and 3 only until early 2027. TRU said the 'Euston-style' roof is being restored to preserve its character while improving shelter for passengers.

At Deighton, platforms were extended and a new accessible footbridge was installed, which will have lifts once complete. O'Shaughnessy said in August that Deighton would reopen as a brand new, accessible station in 2027.

Preparation work was also carried out at the A62 Leeds Road bridge. Network Rail said in September that the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt taller and wider at a later date to make room for overhead line equipment.

Keeping trains moving

Huddersfield and Slaithwaite stations were closed for the full 16 days, with Mossley, Greenfield and Marsden shut on the weekends of 19-20 September and 3-4 October, Network Rail said. Northern services between Huddersfield and Sheffield could not run between Huddersfield and Lockwood, and TransPennine Express services were diverted between Leeds and Manchester.

Brighouse station acted as the main rail and bus interchange throughout, with rail replacement buses running where trains could not. Network Rail has previously listed a £100m upgrade of diversionary routes, completed ahead of major works on the route, among TRU's earlier milestones.

O'Shaughnessy said: "We have worked closely with our industry partners to keep customers on the move as these works have continued and we would like to thank our customers and local communities for their patience and cooperation whilst these improvement works have been taking place."

The wider programme

The Huddersfield works form part of doubling the tracks from two to four through the area. The Department for Transport (DfT) said in December 2023 that government had invested a total of £6.9bn in TRU, with further funding to be confirmed towards an overall cost of up to £11.5bn, and that the money would go into four-tracking between Huddersfield and Ravensthorpe. In July 2022 the government said it was more than trebling TRU investment from £2.9bn to between £9.0bn and £11.5bn.

Network Rail said in August that 25% of the 70-mile route between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York is now electrified, with electric trains running between Manchester and Stalybridge and between York and Church Fenton. There are 70 worksites across the route, and the programme employs more than 5,000 staff, 85% of them from within 40 miles of the line.

TRU will fully electrify the line, introduce digital signalling and improve all 23 stations, according to Network Rail. It is also opening 15 extra freight paths and widening tunnels so containers can travel by rail between east and west coast ports, which Network Rail said would remove more than 1,000 lorries a day from Pennine roads.

The DfT said that once the programme completes in the mid-2030s it will offer up to eight trains per hour and cut journey times.

What happens next

Huddersfield station will close again on the weekends of 10-11 October and 14-15 November, and on Sundays 13 and 20 December, Network Rail said. The 38-day closure begins after the final service on Thursday 24 December 2026 and runs until Sunday 31 January 2027, with the station reopening on Monday 1 February 2027.

Network Rail said the main station upgrades will be completed by early 2027.