York: train customers travelling to Manchester warned of disruption

The work will start in September and will see the railway line through Huddersfield temporarily close each weekend in September and October.

Network Rail say during the closure passengers will be kept on the move by a combination of diversion routes and rail replacement buses.

The multi-billion-pound scheme, the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU), seeks to improve the railway across the Pennines between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Over the two months, hundreds of engineers will replace approximately 650 metres of railway tracks.

York Railway Station (Image: Dylan Connell)

Network Rail say the work will enable trains to travel at higher speeds and improve the overall reliability of services passing through the area in the future, as the number of railway tracks will increase from two to four.

Gareth Hope, sponsor for the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said “This work is a key aspect of our wider upgrades and will not only allow for trains to travel at higher speeds in the future, but also increase the reliability of services.

"We’re committed to ensuring a smooth transition during the upgrades and passengers can rely on a mixture of diversionary routes and rail replacement buses to keep them moving."

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Additionally in August, engineers will complete railway bridge upgrades in the Huddersfield area on August 6, 13, 19 and 20. These upgrades will allow the number of railway lines to increase, by strengthening the bridge structures to support more weight.

Chris Nutton, major projects director for TransPennine Express, said: “This vital work is key to the overall modernisation of the railway that will be taking place as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will help deliver a faster and more sustainable service for our customers who travel between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

 “We’d like to thank our customers in advance for their patience while this work take place.

York Railway Station (Image: Dylan Connell)

"To keep customers on the move, there will be some changes to our services, including diversions, and we advise our anyone to check carefully before travelling.

"We’ll have extra staff on hand at stations to help customers who are travelling on days affected by this work.”

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said: “Whilst this work is essential and will lay the foundations for the transformation of Huddersfield station, we appreciate that nobody likes the thought of disruption to their journeys.

“That’s why we’ve worked hard to keep our customers on trains, with trains running as normal during these works between Sheffield, Barnsley and Lockwood, connecting with just a short bus journey between Lockwood and Huddersfield.

“I’d like to thank customers in advance for bearing with us whilst this work takes place.”