TRU wraps up 24 days of improvement works between Huddersfield and Leeds

Work got underway on Saturday 2 May and following a range of track, station and structural upgrades, was completed on Monday 25 May. Improvements include:

• Replaced 6.2km of track – allowing for smoother, more reliable journeys
• Installed over 50 overhead line foundation bases – supporting electrified, greener services in the future
• Reconstructed Whitacre Street bridge in Deighton (five beams weighing 132 tonnes total) – creating more space for tracks through the area to be doubled from two to four so faster services can overtake stopping ones, reducing journey times
• Platform remodelling at both Huddersfield and Deighton stations – increased capacity for longer trains with more seats for customers
• Footbridge construction at Huddersfield – improving step-free access around the station

Sophie Leishman, TRU sponsor, said:

“Thanks to the hard work of our teams and the support from customers and local communities, this 24-day line closure has been a huge success. We made great strides in the upgrades of Huddersfield and Deighton stations, and made significant improvements to the railway between Huddersfield and Leeds.

“Across the programme, we are well on track with delivering a more reliable, electrified railway across the Pennines, with journey times reduced and capacity increased.”

Customers were kept on the move via almost 2,500 trains on TRU’s dedicated £100m diversionary routes. This investment has improved the resilience of alternate routes, minimising disruption during planned improvement works. Nearly 650 Customer Delivery Manager shifts meant teams were on hand to help passengers at affected stations during the 24-day period.

Liam O’Shaughnessy, TRU Programme Delivery Lead for Northern, said:

“A significant amount of work has been completed in and around Deighton during May and it’s fantastic to see what has been achieved by everyone involved in delivering this latest milestone for TRU.

“We’d like to thank our customers and local communities for their patience and understanding while these upgrade works have taken place. We’d also like to thank all our colleagues from across the industry who’ve come together to keep customers moving while these works have progressed, especially in utilising Brighouse station as an interchange for replacement buses, to keep customers moving between Huddersfield and Leeds.”

Attention moves to TRU’s next series of major improvement works, between Morley and Dewsbury, from Saturday 30 May until Saturday 27 June.

During this period, teams will complete a number of improvements including:

• Replacing track and drainage – to increase the reliability of services passing through the area
• Installing OLE (overhead line equipment) masts – enabling electric trains to run in the future
• Batley station works – improving the platforms and making the station more accessible 
• Dewsbury station works – improving customer facilities and strengthening the footbridge
• Reconstructing Jack Lane bridge in Dewsbury – strengthening works will enable faster and longer trains to travel over the structure  

This will mark another major step towards the transformation of both Batley and Dewsbury stations, bringing them significantly closer to their completion set for later this summer.

Once complete, the upgraded stations will provide improved accessibility, extended platforms that can accommodate longer trains with more seats, and enhanced facilities for customers travelling across the North.