TfN seeks full delivery of originally agreed Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade

Transport for the North says designs under development for the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade should allow for the “full delivery” of all outcomes originally agreed for the scheme.

TfN is calling for journey times of 40 minutes between Leeds and Manchester, and 62 minutes between Manchester and York. It also wants six long-distance trains per hour while maintaining local train frequency, longer trains, better reliability, and provision for intermodal freight trains to use the route (which is not currently possible). It also wants air quality to be maintained or improved, and disruption during major works to be minimised.

The announcement was made after a board meeting in Sheffield on September 13, at which Rail Minister Jo Johnson confirmed that SNC-Lavalin’s global head of rail infrastructure Richard George will oversee infrastructure and train operations during the upgrade.

A further announcement was that agreement has been reached between the Rail North Partnership and Northern to provide Delay Repay compensation for passengers whose journeys are disrupted by between 15 and 29 minutes. At present, only passengers delayed by 30 minutes or more can claim.

The Campaign for Better Transport welcomed the announcement, although Chief Executive Darren Shirley said it did not make up for the chaos experienced earlier this year. He called for a fares freeze in January.

And Transport Focus Passenger Director David Sidebottom asked when TPE passengers could expect the same deal.