Major rail upgrades between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds to begin this weekend

Rail customers are being urged to check before they travel as three consecutive weekends of engineering work take place between Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, starting on Saturday 2 August.
Date 31.07.25

The work is part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) – a transformational programme of rail improvements that will bring faster, more frequent and more reliable  services between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

The upgrade work will see:

  • Almost 2km of track renewed, delivering smoother and more reliable journeys
  • Overhead line equipment (OLE) foundations installed, supporting the electrification of the route
  • Major structural enhancements to bridges across West Yorkshire, including the installation of a new bridge deck at Station Road bridge in Mirfield, using a 450ft crane

 

Andrew Campbell, TRU sponsor, said:

“The scale of engineering work across this section of the route has really begun to ramp up, delivering real upgrades and drive a number of benefits for the region, on and off the railway.

“This intensive programme of weekend work builds on progress made since early July and paves the way for two major upcoming projects – the temporary closure of Deighton station, which will be shut from August 2025 through to 2027, and the 30-day closure of Huddersfield station which begins on Saturday 30 August – both vital for unlocking long-term journey improvements.”

 

On the weekends of 2-3, 9-10 and 16-17 August, train services will be diverted or replaced by rail replacement buses between Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, as no trains will pass through Huddersfield. Customers are advised to plan ahead using nationalrail.co.uk or their train operator’s website. Weekday services remain unaffected.

 

Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said:

“Engineers have made steady progress on the line in recent months and will continue to do so in August, delivering upgrades that not only increase the reliability of the railway now, but enable future upgrade works to be carried out as well.

“Whilst these works take place, TransPennine Express won’t be able to run trains between Manchester and Leeds, with no services calling at Huddersfield. Rail replacement services will run to keep our customers moving across the Pennines.

“Additionally, TPE will pick up services from Northern between Manchester Victoria and Brighouse and between Leeds and York. This will allow for Northern to strengthen their services between Manchester Victoria and Leeds via the Calder Valley route, a prime example of how we come together as an industry to deliver for our customers.

“Given the scale of these works, we’d urge you to check before you travel on the first three weekends of August.”