TransPennine Route Upgrade: ‘First major milestone’ met on way to ‘better railway’ for passengers across North of England

The work has taken place between Church Fenton and Colton Junction, where trains from Leeds join the East Coast Main Line into York. This is one of the busiest stretches of railway in the north, with over 100 trains using the line each day.

It is the first step towards a cleaner, greener, fully electrified railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. When the newly-installed wires are energised, they will allow more environmentally-friendly electric and hybrid trains to run at speeds of up to 125mph – which is 30mph faster than they can currently run.

Rob McIntosh, Managing Director for Network Rail’s Eastern region, said:

“We’ve reached a major milestone on our journey to bring cleaner, greener trains to the north and deliver a better railway which people can rely on.

“Our teams in York and Manchester are working in tandem to electrify sections of the route and will eventually connect to unlock faster, more frequent services and help passengers get to where they need to be, on time.”

Plans for the ambitious multi-billion pound upgrade were given the green light earlier this year, with the scheme also including an upgraded station at Mirfield as well as a brand-new one at Ravensthorpe stations.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “Our multi-billion pound Transpennine Route upgrade will transform journeys for passengers across the North of England, with faster, more frequent services and improved accessibility.

“This is the first major milestone on the way to a fully electrified route between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, which will reduce journey times and save 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.”

When complete across the full 70-mile route across the Pennines, rail passengers will be helping to save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – equivalent to 5.9 million car journeys along the same route. For people living near the railway, it will also mean better air quality and quieter trains.