Between Saturday 24 October and Sunday 1 November, engineers worked around the clock to install the new Common Lane railway bridge and complete the fitting of new overhead power lines, allowing faster, greener electric trains on the route in the future.
The previous bridge, built in 1901, was reaching the end of its lifespan. By carrying out the replacement works a year earlier than necessary, TRU has maximised their time accessing the operational railway to modernise infrastructure while also working to prepare the railway for the future installation of overhead line equipment. This means further disruption to the local community will be minimised.
The team didn’t let Storm Boelo stand in its way, with activities rescheduled in advance, enabling work to be temporarily paused for safety during the height of the high winds and poor weather. Teams worked hard to stay on target and the railway re-opened to trains on time.
During the nine-day closure customers were kept on the move through a comprehensive network of replacement bus services to ensure people could get to where they wanted to go.
Adam Sellers, TRU senior sponsor, said:
“We’ve completed this major work at Church Fenton safely and on time, bringing us a step closer to more frequent, faster, greener trains between York, Huddersfield, Leeds and Manchester.
“A big thank you to our teams who worked around the clock and in very challenging weather conditions to deliver this latest milestone.”
Carl Harland, TRU Customer Lead for Northern, said:
“We would like to thank our colleagues from across the industry for completing these works at Church Fenton and keeping our customers moving over the past nine days.
“The upgrades that have been delivered form an integral part of transforming the route between Leeds and York, helping better connect our communities. Thank you to our customers for their patience whilst these major upgrades have taken place.”
Following the installation of the new bridge at Church Fenton, work has now started to relocate diverted utility services within the new structure, before the road is restored and re-opened in June 2027.
A major programme of improvements was also carried out on the East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire over the past two weekends, including renewing track and points, upgrading overhead line equipment and drainage, managing vegetation and improving platform infrastructure. The work will help make the railway more reliable and provide smoother journeys for customers.
