PlanBEE Rail apprentices celebrate landmark graduation at National Railway Museum
The first-ever graduation ceremony for the PlanBEE Rail apprenticeship programme took place on Wednesday 15 July at the National Railway Museum in York, marking a milestone moment for the scheme and celebrating the achievements of its inaugural cohort, with seven of the graduates moving into permanent roles across the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and its wider partners. TRU is a…
Mirfield station gets a makeover from young local artists
A new collection of artwork created by local students has been unveiled at Mirfield station, as part of TRU’s First and Last Mile scheme. Earlier this year, Mirfield became the second station on the TRU route to realise the benefits of the multi-billion-pound railway programme, with enhanced customer facilities and a brand-new footbridge with lifts…
CCF Summer Event
On 9 July 2026, the Cold Chain Federation brought its members together at the Celtic Manor Resort in Monmouthshire for its annual Summer Party. This member-only event is designed to be friendly, inclusive and enjoyable for all members of the cold chain community. Why events like this matter There is a version of running a…
Delivering more than solutions – building lasting partnerships
Strong business relationships are often built through shared values, trusted service, and meaningful connections — something clearly reflected in the growing relationship between Same Day Solutions Limited and Sound Leisure. Both businesses connected through the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating the power of local networking and how Chamber members can successfully support…
TRU celebrates successful Community Fund projects across route
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is showcasing some of the organisations from its 2025 Community Fund round, who have used their grants to improve local spaces and places. Launched in 2024, the TRU Community Fund aims to help local community groups, schools and charities to create or enhance community-focused facilities across the 70-mile route. The second iteration in 2025 saw 35 successful applicants offered small, medium and large…
Why the UK needs an essential user fuel rebate
While the UK government has largely stayed quiet on fuel support for commercial operators, the rest of the world hasn’t been as passive. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) published a breakdown of how other countries are responding to the current fuel crisis, and the contrast with the UK is hard to ignore. Whilst the World…
Night works see progress on Station Gateway highway works
Councillors will receive an update on the Station Gateway project at a meeting next week (7 July). Executive will hear the latest on the project, including its financial position, as part of the Capital Programme Monitor which provides details around the delays to the project which have increased the spend on the programme by £5.4m….
28 days of TRU improvement works completed in West Yorkshire
Major improvement works modernising the railway between Morley and Dewsbury in West Yorkshire have taken the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) a step closer to delivering faster, more frequent trains on a more reliable and greener network across the North. Work began on Saturday 30 May and ran until Saturday 27 June. During this period, teams…
Frozen Food Temperatures: The Impact of Three Degrees
The -18°C standard for frozen food storage was set over 100 years ago and hasn’t changed since. Technology has evolved. Food science has advanced. Customer expectations have shifted. And yet, that temperature of -18°C has remained steadfastly the same. What’s more surprising is that the standard is rooted in 0°F (-17.8°C), not in any precise…
York leads the way as air quality targets met for second year running
As Clean Air Day (Thursday 18 June) approaches, City of York Council has confirmed that the city has met national air pollution targets for the second consecutive year. New monitoring data for 2025, presented at the Combined Executive Member Decision Session on 2 June 2026, shows that the significantly lower nitrogen dioxide levels recorded in 2024…
Council shares transport information as York Station Gateway Highway works set to complete
City of York Council has published travel information for residents and visitors to assist them to get to the city centre and station in advance of upcoming road closures around York Station. Work to finish the carriageway surfacing around York Station will start on 1 June and be carried out in four stages. Details for…
The Link Between Fuel and Food
When people talk about the cost of living, they talk about energy bills, mortgages and wage stagnation. Rarely does the conversation land on fuel. And almost never does it land on the cold chain that moves food from producer to plate. That invisibility is part of the problem. I want to make the connection explicit,…
Final push on York Station Gateway highway works
Contractors John Sisk & Son have confirmed the programme for their final works on the highways part of the York Station Gateway project. Once they are finished the new permanent road layout will be in place along with continuous safe cycle lanes and footways, plus the new bus stops and fresh new public space for…
Details of York City FC National League Civic Celebration Parade
York is gearing up for a momentous celebration on Thursday 7 May, as York City Football Club marks its return to the English Football League (EFL) with a victory parade. Hundreds of fans are expected to line the streets of York on Thursday as the city comes together to celebrate York City FC’s victory parade….
York supply specialists secure seven-figure public sector contract with Bolton Council
Following a competitive tendering process, York-based supply specialist, PPS, has been awarded a seven-figure contract with Bolton Council for the supply and delivery of chemicals and consumable goods for services across schools. The three-year agreement will see PPS responsible for supplying a comprehensive range of cleaning and hygiene products to approximately 90 schools across the…
Fuel duty regulations
The Cost of War on Transport As a small business, we pride ourselves on flexibility and stability of service. We know that things can be unpredictable for our customers, and that is exactly why we work hard to be a dependable partner for their transport needs. That reliability, however, is deeply compromised when the government…
Highways maintenance plan dedicates £16.5m across York
York’s annual maintenance plan for our roads and streets has been published today (31 March), which will result in a 50% increase in investment in highways, pathways, lighting, drainage and more. This will see significantly more invested in York’s roads than in previous years and the wide-ranging plan commits to highway repair schemes in villages…
Public consultation on proposed rail upgrades between Standedge and Gledholt (Huddersfield) extended
The public consultation on proposed rail upgrades between Standedge and Gledholt has been extended, giving communities in and around Huddersfield more time to share their views. The consultation, which opened on Monday 16 February 2026, has been extended until Friday 24 April 2026. The extension provides a further opportunity for residents, businesses and stakeholders to…
50,000 tonnes of ballast, 11.5km of track, 5,515 sleepers: the numbers behind TRU’s next series of major upgrades
Throughout May and June, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) teams will take another huge step in delivering faster, more frequent trains on a greener railway across the North, through a series of engineering works between Huddersfield and Leeds. From Saturday 2 May until Monday 25 May, 56 engineering trains will be deployed along this stretch of…
20 years and 180 million miles: TransPennine Express marks milestone for Class 185 fleet
TransPennine Express (TPE) has marked 20 years of its Class 185 trains with a special celebration at Siemens Mobility’s Ardwick depot in Manchester. The event recognised two decades of an award-winning fleet that has become a backbone of rail travel across the North, travelling almost 180 million miles – the equivalent of circling the earth…
Work underway on new £100m TrainCare Centre in Shipley
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has this week welcomed Leader of Bradford Council, Susan Hinchcliffe, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw and Councillor Liz Rowe to its Shipley site, where the programme is investing over £100m in the construction of a new TrainCare Centre. The rail depot will initially be used to house and maintain Northern’s fleet of…
Make sure you have your say about car parking charges in Bishopthorpe Road, Heworth, Micklegate and The Groves
Residents and businesses are being reminded that the online and paper consultation over car parking charges in Bishopthorpe Road, Heworth, Micklegate and The Groves/East Parade ends on Friday 27 February 2026. Traders and residents in these four areas initiated a challenge to parking charges under the Traffic Management Act 2004. This followed the authority’s decision to increase charges for…
Rail services between Huddersfield and Leeds to be impacted during May & June as part of major upgrade works
Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) rail engineering work will be undertaken throughout May and June, with significant disruption expected between Huddersfield and Leeds. In addition, trains will not call at Huddersfield on weekends in April. These closures will enable the safe delivery of critical infrastructure upgrades, including track and drainage renewals, bridge works, signalling improvements, and…
Public invited to share views on proposed major rail upgrades between Standedge and Gledholt (Huddersfield)
Communities in and around Huddersfield are being invited to have their say on the next phase of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), as plans are unveiled for significant improvements between Standedge and Gledholt. The proposals form part of the multi-billion-pound programme to modernise the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, delivering faster, more frequent…
Progress continues on project to transform area near York Station
Work to improve the area to the front of York Station is progressing and there are some further changes to be aware of in the coming weeks. These changes will see significant improvements made to the pavements and public spaces, including the installation of York’s first pedestrian crossing with a countdown timer, and will require…
National Apprenticeship Week: Shaping the future of rail in the North
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is marking National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (9-15 February) by celebrating the impact being made by its investment in local skills, careers and talent. TRU will deliver faster, more frequent trains on a greener, more reliable railway. With the programme firmly in its delivery phase and many benefits already being realised,…
An update on Lendal Bridge works
Works to repair Lendal Bridge, originally scheduled for spring of this year, have now been delayed to 2027 due to unavoidable delays on the Station Gateway project. Together, these two major projects will bring long-term benefits for everyone who lives, works and travels in the city. However, because they each have significant impacts on the…
Mirfield station transformation for faster, more connected travel across the North
Customers in Mirfield will now benefit from a transformed station which includes new step-free access, longer platforms and improved facilities, marking the latest milestone in the £11 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade. This work will also enable longer trains with more seats to stop at the station and faster, more reliable journeys in the future, delivering…
Bridging the gap in Ravensthorpe
Significant progress is being made in the delivery of upgrades by the Transpennine Route Upgrade team in Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire following the closure of the station in December, with work on the new Calder Road bridge and Baker Viaduct well underway. TRU will build a new, modernised Ravensthorpe station 200m west of the current site,…
TRU wraps up a month of major upgrades transforming train travel
Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) teams have completed over 32 days of major upgrades between Leeds and York, helping deliver faster, greener, more frequent services across the North. The work delivered by an army of hundreds of people includes 70 new signals installed and made operational, 3km of track renewed, along with eleven switches and crossings….
LNER London King’s Cross first class lounge to undergo refurbishment
As part of our ongoing commitment to improve station facilities along the route, the First Class Lounge at London King’s Cross Station will undergo a major transformation to provide an even more comfortable and welcoming space. While we make these exciting changes, the lounge will unfortunately be closed from Monday 26 January until Spring 2026….
Car parking charge consultation extended and expanded
A review of car parking charges in Bishopthorpe Road, Micklegate and The Groves has been expanded to include Heworth. It follows receipt of a challenge from local traders and residents in the East Parade area about last year’s price increase. The entire consultation including all four areas will now run until 27 February 2026. Arup – a global firm of designers, engineers, and consultants, who…
Transpennine Route Upgrade lays the foundations for a better-connected North as NPR funding is confirmed
Today on a visit to Neville Hill Depot in Leeds the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, backed Northern Powerhouse Rail with £1.1bn over the Spending Review period, allowing progress on planning, development, and design work to be made which will unlock benefits for the people of the North from the 2030s. This reinforced the importance of continued investment in rail infrastructure across the…
TPE issues advice ahead of Storm Goretti
TransPennine Express (TPE) is advising customers that they cannot travel between Manchester and Sheffield from 6pm on Thursday 8 January until Saturday 10 January, as the railway line will be closed ahead of Storm Goretti, which is forecast to bring heavy snowfall across the North of England and Scotland. Passengers cannot travel between Manchester and…
Team TRU delivers package of festive railway upgrades
Across the Christmas and New Year period, Team TRU worked around the clock to complete major improvements that will help deliver faster, greener and more frequent services with more seats across the Pennines. During this time, engineers made significant progress at key locations including Mirfield, Deighton and Huddersfield, while a closure of the line between…
Save up to 50% on journeys with TPE as half a million tickets go on sale
Half a million tickets for train journeys across the North of England are up for grabs with 50%-off the cost, TransPennine Express (TPE) has announced. The train operator has slashed the price of select Advance Purchase tickets as part of the nationwide Great British Rail Sale which starts today (Tuesday 6 January) and runs until…
Poetry in (Loco)motion – LNER Marks Landmark Year for Rail
As 2025 draws to a close, LNER is reflecting on a remarkable year for the rail industry by launching a specially commissioned poem to celebrate the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. We Will Carry You weaves together themes of connection, community and journeys. Written by Darlington poet Lizzie Lovejoy, the poem was commissioned…
Transpennine Route Upgrade look back on 2025 as progress continues at pace
As the year draws to a close, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is marking another 12-months of strong progress, with major achievements delivered across the route, bringing customers closer to more frequent, faster and greener rail journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. Across the 70 miles, significant headway has been made with the roll-out…
TRU offer £250,000 in grants to local organisations
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has this week confirmed that £250,000 in grants has been awarded across 35 local organisations along the Transpennine route, as part of the 2025 TRU Community Fund in partnership with Neighbourly. Launched in 2024, the TRU Community Fund aims to help local community groups, schools and charities to create or…
TRU sets new benchmark for sustainable delivery as electrification, skills investment and community impact accelerates
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has released its 2025 Sustainable Development Report, demonstrating a year of significant progress towards delivering a faster, greener, more reliable railway across the North, and leaving a long-lasting legacy in the communities it works in. Guided by its sustainability strategy, Our Guiding Compass, the programme has embedded long-term thinking into every aspect…
Car parking charges right to challenge consultation
An independent review of car parking charges has begun (today, Wednesday 17 December 2025) covering Bishopthorpe Road, Micklegate, and The Groves in York. Traders and residents in these areas have initiated a challenge to parking charges through The Right to Challenge Parking Policies Statutory Guidance under the Traffic Management Act 2004. This follows the authority’s decision to increase charges…
Accu celebrates major win at Northern International Trade Awards
Accu, a leading global distributor of engineering components, has been named International Company of the Year (£10m–£30m) at Insider’s Northern International Trade Awards, which celebrates the successes of the North West, North East and Yorkshire’s top exporters, importers and their supply chains. The prestigious award recognises Accu’s achievements in delivering an unrivalled service for the…
Upgrade work in Deighton continues over Christmas period
From 22:15 on Wednesday 24 December until 05:30 on Sunday 27 December, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) team will undertake major engineering work in Deighton whilst trains aren’t running on the network. Whitacre Street overbridge will be demolished, whilst the A62 Leeds Road bridge will see the installation of pre-cast concrete parapets using a crane….
Ravensthorpe station closure: brand-new station to open in 2028
From Sunday 14 December, Ravensthorpe station will close until summer 2028 to facilitate Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work on a new, modernised station 200m west of the current location. The new Ravensthorpe station will have a footbridge with lifts for step-free access, along with a new forecourt and drop-off facilities. A new, longer island platform…
All aboard for festive feasting as TPE unwraps its new seasonal menu
TransPennine Express (TPE) is spreading festive cheer on board this winter with the launch of its new seasonal dishes. The new offering with be available from Monday 1 December to Sunday 4 January across its First Class menus: TransPennine Kitchen- West Coast and Coast to Coast. The seasonal offering introduces a selection of locally sourced…
Major improvements this Christmas at Mirfield station
Customers travelling over the Christmas period are being encouraged to plan ahead as significant upgrades continue across West Yorkshire to bring faster, more reliable and greener journeys. To allow these improvements to be completed, Mirfield station will be closed from Tuesday 23 December, reopening on Saturday 27 December. When it reopens, customers will benefit from…
Consultation launches on Rougier Route – a better way through York
Proposals to install a new bus priority route through central York have been unveiled today with a focus on making bus journeys more reliable, cutting bus journey times and creating a more people-focused environment in the heart of the city. Residents, businesses, visitors and commuters are encouraged to share their views in an eight-week consultation…
Industry-leading safety training centre hits 10,000 visitors
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) TRUST centre, the first purpose-built rail safety centre of its kind in the North of England, has now surpassed 10,000 visitors. Launched in Huddersfield in 2023, the facility enables rail workers to experience real life safety-critical scenarios in a safe environment that offers a platform for discussion and an opportunity…