For three weeks in March, train services in West Yorkshire will be severely disrupted because of work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).

The disruption will last from Monday, 3rd to Friday, 21st March, but excluding weekends.

Services between Huddersfield and Leeds will be diverted, whilst there will be no services to Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, and Cottingley, with a rail-replacement bus service in operation.

During the closure, engineers will install over 1.9km of new track, renew over 860m of drainage, install overhead line equipment between Morley and Leeds, and remove the non-operational signal box at Batley.

This is the next phase of upgrades in this part of West Yorkshire, following work completed back in November which saw the installation of 101 electrification masts, 107 OLE mast foundations, over 3km of new track, and the removal of 900m of redundant cable.

Service changes:

TransPennine Express services:

Train Services

• Services between Liverpool Lime Street and Hull will start/terminate at Leeds instead of Liverpool Lime Street.
• Services between Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle will run to an amended timetable will not call at Dewsbury.
• Services between Manchester Airport and Redcar Central will start/terminate at Manchester Victoria instead of Manchester Airport and will not call at Dewsbury.
• Services between Manchester Victoria and Scarborough will start/terminate at York instead of Manchester Victoria.
• Local stopping services between Huddersfield and Leeds will be replaced by a rail-replacement bus calling at all local stations.

Rail replacement buses

• Dewsbury – Leeds (direct) – hourly, with an estimated journey time of 30 minutes.
• Huddersfield – Leeds (all local stations) – hourly calling at Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, and Morley, with an estimated journey time of 89 minutes.
• Huddersfield – Leeds (fast) – hourly calling only at Dewsbury, with an estimated journey time of 65 minutes.
• Huddersfield – Manchester Airport – hourly calling only at Stockport, with an estimated journey time of 80 minutes.

Northern:

Train Services

• Services between Wigan Wallgate and Leeds will not call at Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Mirfield and Brighouse, but will instead call at Bradford Interchange and Halifax.
• Local stopping services between Huddersfield – Leeds will be replaced by a rail replacement bus calling at all local stations.

Rail replacement buses

• Halifax – Leeds: – hourly, calling at Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley, and Morley, with an estimated journey time of 83 minutes.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade has caused many line closures recently, including between Huddersfield, Dewsbury, and Leeds last April and November.

“It’s great to see the progress that’s being made on this part of the Transpennine main line, with customers being able to see overhead line equipment starting to go up between Morley and Leeds, as well as other upgrades installed along the route that will improve the railway for years to come. We advise customers to check before they travel. For the people who plan to travel across the Pennines, we’ll have extra staff on hand at stations to help people get where they need to go.”

Chris Nutton, Major Projects and TRU Director at TransPennine Express