The Transpennine Route Upgrade 2024 report reflects on a successful year that saw several key milestones achieved.
“2024 was a big year for TRU and I’m really proud of what’s been achieved across the programme. A number of key milestones have been reached and we’ve paved the way for more success next year,” Gordon Kells, TRU Interim Managing Director, said.
The newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the Transpennine Route Upgrade in October’s Autumn Budget announcement. On 30 October 2024, Rachel Reeves said that “we are securing the delivery of the Trans-Pennine upgrade to connect York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, delivering fully electric local and regional services between Manchester and Stalybridge by the end of this year, with a further electrification of services between Church Fenton and York by 2026 to help grow our economy across the North of England with faster and more reliable services.”
Transpennine Route Upgrade 2024 milestone has been achieved in November as TransPennine Express joined Northern in operating electric passenger services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. This was a huge step forward in the programme’s aims to deliver faster, more frequent trains on a cleaner, greener, more reliable railway.
Electric test trains have also been in operation between York and Church Fenton, with the first electrified passenger services to launch in 2025.
Significant progress has also been made in upgrading the infrastructure across the route, with perhaps the most noticeable change seen at the iconic Huddersfield station.
The station upgrade has just passed the one-year mark. Scaffold towers and a raised working platform are in place to enable the trainshed canopy restoration work, whilst the tearoom, built in 1886, has been dismantled in 8,000 different pieces and carefully stored away ahead of being reinstated in the future. A new, purpose-built office compound was also opened at the rear of the station, so that the programme had a central working hub at such a vital location on the route. Named HD1, the sustainable approach to the building of the office compound contributed to programme’s perfect 45/45 score in a Considerate Constructors Scheme assessment of the station.
October saw the completion of public consultation on plans for rail upgrades between Stalybridge and Diggle (Saddleworth). More than 300 residents gave feedback on proposals, including major upgrades at both Mossley and Greenfield that will make the stations fully accessible for the first time.
The programme was granted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) to bring further upgrades to the route between Leeds and Micklefield, outlining plans to replace five level crossings with safer alternatives, work to a number of bridges to enable electrification, and the installation of some small-scale infrastructure.
Back in March, TRU announced a GBP 100 million (EUR 1.18 million) investment for a new rail depot in Shipley which will be used to house and maintain Northern’s fleet of electric trains on the Airedale and Wharfedale Lines whilst access in and out of their Neville Hill depot in Leeds is restricted during a future phase of TRU works.
One milestone of many outlined in the report was the introduction of PlanBEE Rail, a unique higher apprenticeship scheme designed to recruit and nurture the next generation of multi-disciplinary project managers.
The Transpennine route spans 70 miles (112.6 km), with 23 stations and nearly 30 level crossings, running over and under dozens of bridges and viaducts, and passing through 6 miles (9.6 km) of tunnels.
The electrification of the route will introduce greener trains, reducing our carbon footprint and improving air quality. Plans aim to save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, supporting the government’s Net Zero objectives. A proposal has been developed to move more goods by rail, targetinh up to 15 more freight trains each day, which is expected to remove over 1,000 lorries off the road each day.
The fastest journey times are forecast to be 63-66 minutes between Manchester and York and 41-42 minutes between Manchester and Leeds.
We remind you that in December 2023, the Government pledged EUR 3.9 billion (EUR 4.6 billion) investment to accelerate Transpennine Route Upgrade programme an increase that takes total funding of the project to GBP 6.9 billion (almost 8.2 billion). The total cost of the project is estimated at GBP 11 billion (EUR 13 billion) and is expected to be completed in mid-2030s.
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