Rail investments in northern England, proposed November 2021
Map of the Trans-Pennine Routes. The TRU relates to the Huddersfield line, shown in light blue.Calder Valley line for comparison
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a major investment being made in the railway between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield – the 76 miles (122 km) northern route over the Pennines,[1] most of which is also known as the Huddersfield line. As of 2023[update], the line is heavily used but is slow and lacks capacity.[2] It has Victorian infrastructure, covers difficult terrain including the 3-mile (4.8 km) Standedge Tunnel, and has poor access roads.
Since the rejection of Northern Powerhouse Rail's aspiration for a new high speed line within Yorkshire, it has been questioned whether an upgraded Huddersfield line will provide sufficient capacity for the region's needs.[3] However, the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP) that was announced in November 2021,[4][5] did include full electrification between Manchester and York,[6] and subsequently W12 loading gauge to accommodate 2.9 m × 2.6 m (9.5 ft × 8.5 ft) refrigerated shipping containers throughout has been promised.[7][8] The whole £9–11.5billion programme has been defined as phase one of Northern Powerhouse Rail, and is claimed to be the biggest infrastructure project in the UK.[9] It consists of a succession of sub-projects[10] designed to give incremental benefits to rail users of a period of time, with an anticipated overall completion date of between 2036 and 2041.[11][12] In Manchester, the project interfaces with the Northern Hub.
There are three transpennine rail lines that connect Lancashire and Yorkshire. To the south of the Huddersfield line is the Hope Valley line which traverses even more difficult terrain including the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) Totley Tunnel, and which in 2021 was allocated £137million investment to improve capacity and connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield.[13][14] To the north the Calder Valley line joins Manchester and Leeds via Rochdale and Bradford (where trains have to reverse). This line has been strengthened to allow its use as a diversionary route while the Huddersfield line is upgraded.[15]
Reopening the Woodhead line as a potential alternative Pennine crossing was ruled out early on.[16] The Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership is a campaign that is seeking the reopening of the 12-mile (19 km) railway line that used to run between the Lancashire town of Colne and the Yorkshire town of Skipton. This could provide an additional transpennine route for both a commuter service and a relief transpennine freight route.[17][18]
^"Coming soon Transpennine Railway Upgrade". Transpennine Route Upgrade. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Plans to improve the Manchester – Leeds – York route are advancing". Modern Railways. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Transpennine upgrade". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
^Department for Transport (18 November 2021). Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands(PDF). Department for Transport. ISBN 978-1-5286-2947-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^Media, Insider. "Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade project moving to next phase". Insider Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
^"Northern Powerhouse Rail" (PDF). Parliament UK. 25 August 2022.
^Abbott, James (February 2023). "2023: Key year for TRU". Modern Railways. No. 893. pp. 56–61.
^"Freight RUS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
^"Rail Technology Magazine August September 2022 Page 78". mag.railtechnologymagazine.com. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
^Abbott 2023, pp. 56–61.
^"The Transpennine Route Upgrade Programme – National Audit Office (NAO) Press release". National Audit Office. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
^"NAO Transpennine Route Upgrade summary" (PDF). NAO UK government.
^"Government invests to transform journeys on Hope Valley line". GOV.UK. 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^Abbott, James (20 May 2021). "Hope Valley Upgrade Third Express Path Per Hour". Modern Railways.
^"Calder Valley rail route to keep Transpennine passengers moving this month". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Trans-Pennine Woodhead rail tunnels not to reopen". BBC News. 11 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
^"The Skipton-Colne Rail Corridor: The New Transpennine Northern Link" (PDF). Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership. November 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
^"Campaign to reopen railway between Colne and Skipton intensifies". Rail Insider. 28 May 2021.
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