Transpennine Route Upgrade: Weekday trains not stopping at Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury and Batley for THREE weeks with engineering work due to commence

The engineering works are set to begin on Monday, March 3, with weekday train services between Ravensthorpe and Leeds affected until Friday, March 21.

Weekend services remain unimpacted during this period.

The work forms part of the TRU’s multi-billion-pound programme, with over 1.9km of new track being installed and over 860m of drainage renewed, whilst overhead line equipment (OLE) will be installed between Morley and Leeds.

Engineers will also remove the Batley signal box, which has been non-operational since June 2023.

Jonathan Hepton, Project Sponsor for TRU, said:

“This series of weekday works affecting services between Dewsbury and Leeds will enable vital upgrades to this stretch of railway.

“Further installation of electrification equipment and new track takes us one step closer to an upgraded, electrified Transpennine route.

“I’d encourage any passengers travelling on weekdays during this period to plan their journey ahead of time.”

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.

Chris Nutton, Major Projects and TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said:

“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.

“During these vital improvement works, TransPennine Express 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 Kirkgate, slightly increasing journey times.

“Rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, and all local stations in between.

“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.”

During this period, trains will not call at Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley and Cottingley. Passengers will be kept on the move between Huddersfield and Leeds via a diversionary route, increasing journey times.