Transpennine Route Upgrade: Check before you travel warning as work set to start at Dewsbury and Batley train stations
Rail customers are being urged to check before they travel as work at Dewsbury and Batley train stations means there will be changes to services.
The closures of the railway are in place to facilitate essential work as part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
From Monday, October 6 until Friday, October 24, excluding weekends, TRU teams will be undertaking work at Batley and Dewsbury stations to prepare for platform extension work that will see them become 150m and 200m long respectively.
These platform extensions will allow longer trains to stop at the stations in the future, with more seats for customers. Bridge reconstructions will also take place on this section of railway.
Track and drainage renewal work will also be undertaken during this three-week period, which will allow faster, more reliable services to run.
Jonathan Hepton, project sponsor for TRU, said:
“These are crucial upgrades for the railway in West Yorkshire, but they will have a huge impact on the wider route as they are pivotal in enabling faster services with more capacity.
“Our teams will be working around the clock to deliver this safely and on time, following important milestones for the programme at Huddersfield station.
“We’d like to thank local businesses, residents and customers for their understanding as we complete these upgrades.”
TransPennine Express services between Huddersfield and Leeds will be diverted via Wakefield during this period, whilst local stations in between will be served by rail replacement buses.
Joe Munro, TRU Customer Lead at Northern, said:
“This next stage of work between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds is key to delivering an upgraded railway and unlocking benefits for our customers, not just at the impacted stations but across the route.
“Whilst this work takes place, trains will be unable to run through Dewsbury station. To keep customers on trains as much as possible, we will divert our Wigan to Leeds services via Bradford Interchange, whilst rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield and Halifax to Dewsbury and Leeds, as well as local stations in between.
“We would recommend that our customers who normally travel on this route to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk”
Chris Nutton, Major Projects and TRU Director at TransPennine Express, added:
“It’s exciting to see the progress being made to improve the railway’s performance and capacity in West Yorkshire, while the next steps are also being taken in the electrification of the route.
“Whilst these improvement works are carried out, we won’t be able to run trains on the line between Ravensthorpe and Leeds. To keep customers on trains as much as possible, we will divert trains between Huddersfield and Leeds via Wakefield, slightly increasing journey times. Rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, and all local stations in between.
“Customers are advised to check before they travel using our digital channels and we’ll have extra staff on hand at key stations to help people get from A to B.”
Further work will also take place over six consecutive weekends this autumn on October 4-5, 11-12, 18-19 and 25-26, and November 1-2 and 8-9, between Leeds, York and Selby.
Customers are being encouraged to plan their journeys ahead of time at nationalrail.co.uk or their train operator’s website.