Four-tracking to ease trans-Pennine bottleneck as part of route upgrade
The granting of a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) will enable a major section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) in West Yorkshire to get under way.
It will extend electrification from Leeds to Huddersfield and unblock a capacity bottleneck on the eightmile section from Dewsbury.
Alongside electrification of this part of the Manchester-Leeds-York trans-Pennine route, the other key element is reinstatement to four tracks of the present twotrack section northwards from Huddersfield to Heaton Lodge Junction.
Additionally, 0.8 miles of new railway (including a viaduct over a flood plain, plus a separate flyover) on the Heaton Lodge Junction-Dewsbury section will increase this part of the route to four tracks for the first time.
The route serves a mix of freight, fast express, and local stopping passenger trains. It shares its capacity with the Calder Valley and Penistone lines, so increasing capacity on the bottleneck section will solve the problem whereby late running causes knock-on effects across much of the network between Manchester, Leeds and York.
Huddersfield station will be partly demolished and rebuilt, although its main trainshed roof will survive. There will be renovations at Deighton and Mirfield stations, plus an all-new station (on the existing site) at Ravensthorpe.
A flyover near Ravensthorpe will separate the lines running to/ from Wakefield, apart from those to/from Leeds (currently a flat junction), to reduce congestion by conflicting train movements.
“This is a massive success for the TRU,” said Network Rail TRU Director Neil Holm.
“It brings us another step closer to delivering faster, more frequent trains and a greener, more reliable railway.
“Work on this part of the route is essential for unlocking wider benefits for passengers travelling between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield. It will allow us to run more trains, giving passengers a much better chance of finding a seat and enjoying their journey.”
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “This is a massive step forward towards delivering a railway fit for the 21st century across the north of England, which will provide real benefits for those who travel between some of our country’s biggest cities.
“The upgrade will not only improve connectivity for the communities we serve, but also boost the economies of the towns and cities along the Transpennine route, providing greener, faster and more reliable services.”
■ A Transport and Works Act Order is required for any project that involves building new sections of railway outside of its existing boundaries, enabling public scrutiny and (if necessary) a Public Inquiry to be held into the proposed scheme.
The Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order, to increase capacity of the Huddersfield-Leeds section of the Manchester-LeedsYork north TransPennine route, was approved by the Secretary of State for Transport on June 27, having been lodged on March 31 by Network Rail.
The approval was granted following three years of planning and public consultation, considering the views of residents, rail users and other stakeholders.
A Public Inquiry was held in November and December 2021. Its report to the Transport Secretary on March 9 recommended approval. The Department for Transport expected that it would take until December 2022 for Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to grant the TWO, but the decision has been made six months early.