A rail network epic exploration: Wales to London via South Coast

Part two of Paul Bigland’s All-Line Rover trip takes him on trains battered by the elements… and teenage passengers

In this article:

• Halifax to Cardiff journey highlights train upgrades, station transformations, and scenic views through the English countryside.
• Upgrades in Cardiff and South Wales reveal positive transit investment but also lingering challenges, like outdated electrification.
• Weather disruptions, infrastructure quirks, and rail delays create unexpected travel hurdles along the route.

Having spent the first two days of my Rover crossing England’s North, it’s time to venture further afield. I won’t be returning home again until the trip was over.

I have a propensity for leaving suitcases behind, so this time everything is packed into or onto my camera bag.

Day 3

My odyssey begins at Halifax, where I catch the 0850 to Huddersfield, a Grade 1 Listed station that’s undergoing a transformation as part of the Transpennine Route upgrade (TRU).

The roof is slowly disappearing behind scaffolding, while the old wooden cafe and waiting room on the island platform has been taken apart piece by piece for re-erection later. When the work’s finished, the bay platforms that currently only hold two- or three-car trains will have been swept away by two new through platforms covered by a new roof.

I have a chance to photograph the work before heading west aboard a TransPennine Express Class 185 bound for Manchester Piccadilly.

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