Huddersfield Station Closed! | Transpennine Route Upgrade

Huddersfield Station Closed! | Transpennine Route Upgrade

On Saturday the 30th of August, 
Huddersfield station closed for 30 days, meaning that no trains could pass through the main 
Transpenine route between Manchester and Leeds. There’s never a convenient time to close 
a key rail route for a whole month, but the work being carried out will play a big 
part in the large-scale remodeling of Huddersfield station and the fourtracking to Dewsbury which is 
being undertaken as part of the Transpenine Route Upgrade. Due to the importance of Huddersfield 
station, the TRU West Alliance has been preparing for this closure for months. In all, the alliance 
has invested £100m prior to the closure to ensure that passengers are kept moving. A lot of 
work will have taken place in the background, such as working with train operating companies to 
identify which services can be diverted and which will have to terminate at alternative stations. 
The Alliance has however undertaken upgrades elsewhere on the network in order to increase 
capacity at a station which will be used as a main transfer point. One of the most visible 
interventions has been the upgrade of Brighouse Station which is on the Calder Valley line. This 
station will be used as the transfer point for passengers wishing to travel to Huddersfield, 
Deighton, and Mirfield with rail replacement buses in operation from Brighouse. Platform 
2 has been widened so that it can handle the increased number of passengers and the car park 
has been adjusted to improve the pickup and drop off facilities and so that it can handle the 
replacement buses that will be in operation. Signage, platform, and access ramp markings have 
also been improved so that people can find their way to the relevant areas more easily. A toilet 
has also been installed close to platform 1. The improvements will undoubtedly aid people in 
the short term, but the improvements such as the additional shelter will improve Brighouse 
in the long term for regular passengers. Other work has been carried out to increase 
capacity on the Calder Valley line so that more trains can operate. I’m not certain 
of the full timetable that will operate, but TPE services such as Liverpool to Newcastle 
and the Manchester to Scarborough service will be diverted via and stop at Brighouse. Northern 
services will be altered or diverted during the closure. So, as always, if you’re traveling 
during the blockade, then do check before you travel. The closure of such a key route will of 
course be frustrating for passengers, but longer blockades such as this will allow the alliance 
to undertake more work and could be carried out during shorter or overnight closures. And given 
the scale of the work that will be carried out, it’s difficult to see how this could 
be undertaken during shorter closures. So, what’s happening at Huddersfield? As 
I explained in my previous TRU videos, Huddersfield will be upgraded to provide 
additional through platforms and to increase the length of the platforms in order to accommodate 
longer trains. There will be links to those videos in the description below if you haven’t 
watched those yet. What this means is the track approaching the station will have to be remodeled 
so that the trains can use the new platforms and the new fastline tracks that will be installed 
between Huddersfield and Dewsbury once the upgrade is complete. During the closure, platform 2 will 
be lengthened to the east to accommodate longer trains and platform one will also be remodeled 
in order to increase the number of tracks across Huddersfield vioaduct. The Alliance will also 
be replacing spans on the viaduct heading east from the station during the blockade. Regular 
travelers through Huddersfield may have spotted a number of cranes which have been assembled next 
to the station. I’ve been reliably informed that the largest of those cranes has a lift capacity 
of 1,250 tonnes and is only one of two operating in Europe. The huge crane will be used to lift 
a replacement span over John William Street. Other work that will take place during the closure 
includes the removal of a relay room and a cable bridge will be demolished. Track and signaling 
will also be upgraded. In addition, the canopies above platforms 5, 6, and 8 will be removed. 
The Alliance will also be taking the opportunity to carry out upgrades between Stalybridge and 
Huddersfield. Although a great deal of work will take place during the closure, the station upgrade 
will not be fully completed until 2027. And when the station does reopen at the end of September, 
there will only be 3 platforms available and the 2 east-facing bay platforms numbers 5 and 6 will 
be closed. Therefore, the platform layout will be significantly different. An info sheet has been 
published advising passengers about what to expect when the station reopens. I’ll leave a link to 
that sheet in the description. The closure of the bay platforms means that there’ll be no direct 
services from Huddersfield to Bradford until 2027 and passengers will instead have to change at 
Mirfield or use a rail replacement bus service. Once complete, the remodeled station will have 
6 fully accessible platforms with longer through platforms that will be able to accommodate 200m 
long trains. The Penistone bay platform will also be located closer to the main entrance. The work 
to install two new fast lines from Huddersfield to Dewsbury will also impact intermediate stations 
on the route. This means that Deighton will remain closed after the blockade and won’t reopen until 
2027. This will allow the Alliance to upgrade the station with longer platforms, install lifts, 
and a new pedestrian overbridge. A new station forecourt will also be constructed during the 
closure. Work will also continue on the rebuild of Whitacre Street, which will be replaced to 
make way for the new fast lines and provide room for the overhead line equipment so the line can be 
electrified. The road bridge by now will be closed to pedestrians and isn’t expected to reopen until 
July 2026. With so much happening at once, it’s become difficult to keep up with progress. But 
the most significant development recently has been the introduction of electric passenger services 
between Colton Junction and Church Fenton after the completion of testing of the wires which were 
energized last year. This now means around 25% of the route covered by the TRU is now electrified. 
Over the past 12 months, the amount of work taking place really has started to intensify, and the 
scale of the upgrade, I think, has now become apparent. A number of new structures are also 
starting to take shape right across the network. I just wish I had more time to cover everything 
that’s going on, but rest assured, I’ll do my best to cover the bigger milestones, and I’m certain 
this won’t be the last time I cover TRU this year. I’d also like to take a look at the Hillhouse 
Depot at some point. So, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any updates. And just before 
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Thanks to @Sim0nTrains for the clips of the large crane.

TRU Huddersfield transformation: https://youtu.be/zkIVjeThMmg

TRU Heaton Lodge to Ravensthorpe: https://youtu.be/VT_ai8Ho2Ws

TRU information sheet: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/-/media/Engineering-work/TRU-Huddersfield-30-day-closure-leaflet.pdf

Huddersfield station will be closed from Saturday the 30th of August until Monday 29th September. During which time the TRU West Alliance will re-model the station and carry out other works as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

#TranspennineRouteUpgrade #Huddersfield #Brighouse