TPE customers set to be kept on the move during major TRU work thanks to upgraded Huddersfield diversionary route

TransPennine Express (TPE) will increase the number of services on a key diversionary route between Manchester and Leeds to three trains per hour from last weekend, keeping passengers moving while the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) continues to transform the railway.

The uplift in services on the Calder Valley route, between Manchester Victoria and Mirfield via Hebden Bridge, will allow more customers to stay on trains and travel across the Pennines when there is no access to the line between Stalybridge and Huddersfield.

The increase from two to three trains per hour is a direct benefit of TRU, after the programme invested  £100 million to upgrade the infrastructure on multiple railway lines, increasing resilience on diversionary routes when other lines are closed.

The boost in services is a product of continued close collaboration between Network Rail, Northern and TransPennine Express as part of the TRU Enterprise. When the diversionary route is used, TPE will stop additionally at stations on the Calder Valley route, and some Northern services will run to an amended timetable.

The increased capacity comes in a busy period of TRU engineering work between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds, with Huddersfield railway station closing for 30 days from Saturday 30 August for extensive upgrades.

While Huddersfield station is closed, TPE will make full use of the upgraded Calder Valley route by diverting three trains per hour, making additional calls at Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge, Castleton and Brighouse.

Brighouse will function as the main interchange point for customers travelling to and from Huddersfield. In readiness for increased rail replacement bus services running between Brighouse and Huddersfield stations, Northern are delivering a suite of enhancements at Brighouse station.

This also means that Oasis fans will still be able to get to Manchester by rail and see the iconic band play at Heaton Park, which is hosting a series of sellout gigs over the coming week. Customers heading to these shows are advised to plan ahead as engineering works will be taking places over the next two weekends and train services will be busy.

Andrew McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director for TPE, said: “The delivery of three trains per hour on the Calder Valley route is an important milestone for us, as it allows us to continue to run trains and getting our customers from A to B, even when railway lines are closed for major upgrade works. This will be vital when Huddersfield station closes for 30 days later this summer.

“Colleagues from across the business have come together to make this happen, including the delivery of hundreds of hours of traincrew training, tireless efforts from our Operations Interface and Safety Change team and many more.

“It also shows what we can achieve as an industry when we work together, and I want to thank our Network Rail and Northern colleagues for collaborating with us to truly deliver for our customers.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: “The ability to deliver additional trains on the Calder Valley route demonstrates the railway’s ability to come together for the benefit of our customers. These additional services will allow more customers to stay on trains, rather than on replacement buses, whilst work takes place to transform journeys across the Pennines.”

James Richardson, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) Managing Director, said: “TRU has invested around £100m to improve the railway on diversionary routes to keep passengers and freight moving, as the Transpennine route is upgraded.

“Working in collaboration with TRU Enterprise partners TransPennine Express and Northern, our diversionary route upgrades enable our engineers to work around the clock to complete major upgrades, safely and on time. This work takes us closer to delivering faster, greener services on a more reliable railway, for millions of people across the North.

“We’re really proud how these routes and services keep people on the move during disruption and we’re committed to delivering a more resilient railway for the future.”