Rail work disruption warning
A STRETCH of the Transpennine rail route between Calderdale and Manchester is to be closed for 16 days this summer to allow key infrastructure improvements to take place.
The work forms part of Network Rail’s wider goal to deliver long-awaited improvements along the full 76-mile route stretching from York to Manchester, via Leeds and Huddersfield.
Senior rail officials say journey times will increase as a result of the closure but “the longterm legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption”.
It will take place east of Manchester Victoria station, closing the lines towards Stalybridge and Rochdale, with a 16-day railway closure between these destinations from July 31 to August 16.
Despite the 16-day closure, direct train travel between Manchester and Leeds will still be possible but with trains departing/arriving via Manchester Piccadilly instead of Manchester Victoria station.
Passengers wishing to travel between Yorkshire to Manchester Airport/Liverpool will be able to do so but with a change of trains at Manchester Piccadilly.
Anyone travelling between Halifax and Manchester on the Calder Valley line will need to transfer onto a bus for the portion of the journey between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria.
Network Rail, which is responsible for rail infrastructure, says during the closure hundreds of railway workers will be working day and night to renew key sections of track and upgrading railway bridges to improve reliability. It is the first step to enable wider improvements that are expected to bring benefits to passengers.
Further railway upgrade work between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is being planned for several weekends and bank holidays from late August through to early 2022.
Neil Holm, Network Rail’s Director for the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme, said: “The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a transformative, long-term project supporting economic growth in the North and delivering real benefits for passengers and communities.
“A project of this size means there will be times when we have to close the railway – and the 16-day closure this summer signifies one of these moments.
“However, working alongside train operators, we are committed to keeping passengers on a train as often as we possibly can, moving on time and in comfort. We are confident that the long-term legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption.”
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