Calder Valley line to keep passengers on the Transpennine Route moving this August

As part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, engineers will replace Fieldhouse Lane bridge in Huddersfield this August - and the newly-reinforced Calder Valley line will help us keep passengers moving while we carry out this work.
Fieldhouse Lane bridge, Huddersfield
Date 29.07.22

This essential upgrade will allow the line to be electrified, enabling cleaner, quieter electric trains to run in the future. It will also support the future doubling of tracks between Huddersfield and Dewsbury from two to four – a project which was given the green light by the Secretary of State for Transport on Monday 27 June.

We will also be carrying out other improvement work in and around Huddersfield Station.

Passengers can keep their plans on track while the work takes place over the first two weekends in August (Saturday 6 & Sunday 7, and Saturday 13 & Sunday 14) as the majority of trains through Huddersfield will continue to run via Brighouse and the Calder Valley route, with rail replacement bus services in place to ensure you can get to and from where you want to go.

People planning to catch the train should check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or their train operator for the latest updates.

Over the last two years, the Calder Valley line has undergone major work to make it more resilient, especially when faced with heavy downpours. The improvements will be on show this August as the route is used at its full capacity, carrying an additional two trains per hour.

Further enhancements will eventually allow the Calder Valley route, which runs between Leeds and Manchester, to run an additional three trains per hour, giving passengers a better chance of finding a seat.

Hannah Lomas, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail said:

“It’s brilliant to see the years of improvement work on the Calder Valley line come into use, allowing us to complete this essential bridge upgrades in Huddersfield while also allowing passengers to continue travelling by train.

“The new and improved route will act as a vital diversion now and into the future as we deliver faster, cleaner, more frequent journeys for passengers travelling between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.”

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Service & Operations Director for TransPennine Express, said:

“The work taking place this August is vital to the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme and will affect TransPennine Express services in and out of Huddersfield, leading to a number of service alterations. We will do all we can to keep customers on the move, and the plan is to divert our trains via the upgraded Calder Valley route, with a rail replacement bus service also operating, where required. 

“Customers are advised to allow additional time to travel and to check carefully for the latest travel advice on our website: www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times; updates will also be available on our social media channels. Additional staff will also be on hand at key stations to kelp make customers journeys as smooth as possible.”

 


 

Train services will be affected as follows:

TransPennine Express services:

Services between Liverpool and Newcastle

These journeys will be diverted via the Calder Valley and will not call at Huddersfield.

An additional stop will be made at Brighouse where customers can connect onto a replacement bus service for Huddersfield which will run every 15 minutes.

 

Services between Manchester Airport and Redcar

These journeys will start/finish at Manchester Victoria and will not call at Manchester Airport, Gatley, Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Oxford Road. They will also be diverted via the Calder Valley and will not call at Huddersfield.

An additional stop will be made at Brighouse where customers can connect onto a replacement bus service for Huddersfield which will run every 15 minutes.

An additional rail replacement service will be running hourly in both directions between Huddersfield and Manchester Airport, also calling at Stockport for customers to change onto rail services to/from Manchester Piccadilly.

 

Services between Manchester Piccadilly and Hull

These journeys will only run between Leeds and Hull. Customers travelling to/from Manchester should change at Leeds for onward connections.

 

Local services between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield

These journeys will not run on Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 August.

On Saturday 6 August, a shuttle service will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge. An hourly replacement bus service will run between Stalybridge and Huddersfield, calling at Mossley, Greenfield, Marsden and Slaithwaite stations.

On Sunday 7 August, an hourly replacement bus service will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield, calling at Stalybridge, Mossley, Greenfield, Marsden and Slaithwaite stations.

 

Local services between Huddersfield and Leeds

These journeys will not run.

On Saturdays 6 & 13 August, customers travelling from all local stations to or from Leeds, except Deighton, should catch Northern’s Wigan-Leeds services.

Customers travelling from all local stations to Huddersfield should catch Northern’s Wigan–Leeds services and change at Brighouse to connect onto a replacement bus service for Huddersfield which will run every 15 minutes.

In addition, an hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Huddersfield, Deighton and Mirfield.

On Sundays 7 & 14 August, an hourly replacement bus service will be running between Huddersfield and Leeds, calling at Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley and Cottingley stations.

 

Northern services:

On Saturdays 6 & 13 August, services running between Bradford Interchange and Huddersfield will not run and will be replaced by buses.

On Sundays 7 & 14 August, services running between Leeds and Huddersfield via Bradford will run to/from Halifax instead of Huddersfield. An hourly replacement bus service will be running between Halifax and Huddersfield.

Penistone Line trains will not be affected by this work.

 

Remember to check before you travel at National Rail Enquiries or with your train operator.