Industry leaders have hailed work at Stalybridge station, which is part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade that is building towards the future of electric rail travel in the North of England.
Over 26 days, engineers worked around the clock to completely remodel a railway junction, instal over 2km of new track and 23 new signals, upgrade 13 crossovers, and install overhead line equipment in readiness for future electrification of the route.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a multi-billion-pound project that will revolutionise rail travel in the North by providing better connections between towns and cities through more frequent and faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener, and more reliable railway. The upgrade will:
- Electrify the 76-miles between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and Leeds;
- Instal new digital signalling system along the route;
- Double the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and Westtown in Dewsbury;
- Improve stations along the route to enhance customer experience, comfort and accessibility;
- Improve diversionary routes to allow more trains to run and keep passenger and freight trains moving while the core Transpennine route is closed for upgrading.
Further work will take place at Stalybridge on Saturdays and Sundays 15th/16th, 22nd/23rd, 29th/30th April, and 20th/21st of May. Anyone intending to travel on those weekends should check before they travel for the latest updates.
Rail Minister, Huw Merriman said: “Our multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade will transform our railways for generations to come and this major piece of work at Stalybridge station is just another way we're investing to improve rail in the North.
“These vital works will support economic growth, connect communities and deliver faster, greener and more reliable services across the region”
Hannah Lomas, Industry Programme Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We'd like to say a big “thank you” to passengers for bearing with us while we did this work; it means that trains will be able to move through Stalybridge station faster and more reliably.
“This is just one component of the wider Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will electrify the whole route between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and Leeds, bringing the line into the 21st century with 70 miles of fully electric, digital railway.”
Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: “We're really grateful to all of our customers for their patience throughout this 26-day closure of the line between Manchester and Stalybridge. The work that has taken place will allow us to run electric trains to Stalybridge in the near future, meaning faster, greener and more reliable trains for everybody.”
Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “Completing the 26-day upgrade work at Stalybridge is a fantastic achievement for the cross-industry teams who have worked tirelessly to deliver this important work.
“It takes us another step closer towards this once-in-a-generation rail project which will enable more frequent trains between Manchester and York – running on a cleaner, greener, more reliable railway.
“We'd like to thank customers for their patience and cooperation during the work. Follow-up work at Stalybridge continues during the weekends up until May; customers are therefore reminded to check the latest changes to our services before they travel on our website www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times.”
The electrification should still continue all the way to Leeds and to other cities like Hull, Sheffield and York. Not to mention the electrification on the Midland Main Line that new 25kv OHLE would reach Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.
Perhaps if a few people had seen the value of the original & direct Manchester to Sheffield electrified Trans-Pennine route, such re-inventing the wheel would not be necessary.
I understand that trains were also timed so that those descending the inclines could actually feed power back into the 1500 volt dc to help those ascending.
Just saying 🙂
Don’t understand the comment already lodged.The electrics may be “insight” from west of Pennines but they will be much longer coming from East ( unless under bimode diesel assistance).
The junction at Stalybridge is somewhat wasted. The connection to Stockport could be used for travellers going either south or heading to Manchester airport to avoid having to travel into central Manchester.
So many electric trains coming out.
There won’t actually be any fully electric trains for years yet. Most will remain diesel powered with Transpennine Express Bi-mode Class 802’s being able to change to electric at Stalybridge instead of Manchester Victoria/Piccadilly. Even after the Transpennine Upgrade is complete, Bimodes will still be used to destinations such as Hull, Scarborough, and Saltburn as none of those destinations are currently slated to be electrified. I also beleive that Northern local services to Southport are due to remain in the hands of diesels.
Transpennine have a plan to replace the Class 68 diesel locomotives with Bi-Mode versions, but no manufacturer has yet come forward with an offer to build then, so, those are years away. Class 185’s to Hull, Scarborough, and Saltburn are also planned to be withdrawn in favour of Bi-modes, but again, no manufacturer has yet stepped forward to build them. So they again, are years away.