Upgrade work closes part of the Leeds to Manchester main line

Part of the main Leeds to Manchester railway in West Yorkshire is to close on weekdays for 5 weeks from October 21, with some through trains diverted and replacement buses running.

The work is part of the multi-billion-pound TransPennine Route Upgrade, which will eventually see the line from York electrified all the way across the Pennines to Manchester.

For a five-week period from October 21, engineers will be installing the foundations and supporting masts for overhead line equipment (OLE), renewing around 3km of track, 420m of drainage and improving the formation on 680m of track.

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

“It is great to see the amount of work that’s being done to upgrade the railway here in the North. The work between Morley and Leeds will pave the way for the future electrification of a key piece of the route, while the new track and drainage renewal works will improve the reliability for years to come.

“As a result of this work, TransPennine Express won’t be able to run trains on the line through Dewsbury and Morley. To keep as many people on trains as possible, we will divert trains between Huddersfield and Leeds via Wakefield Kirkgate, increasing journey times. Rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, and all local stations in between.”

The following services will be affected on weekdays from Monday 21 October to Friday 22 November:

TransPennine Express services

Liverpool Lime Street – Newcastle: This service will run to an amended timetable. It will divert between Mirfield and Leeds using the Healey Mills diversionary route, increasing journey times. It will not call at Dewsbury.

Manchester Airport – Saltburn: This service will run to an amended timetable and will start/terminate at Manchester Victoria instead of Manchester Airport. It will divert between Mirfield and Leeds using the Healey Mills diversionary route, increasing journey times. It will not call at Dewsbury.

Manchester Piccadilly – Hull: This service will start/terminate at Leeds instead of Manchester Piccadilly. Customers will need to change at Leeds for onward connections.

Manchester Piccadilly – Leeds (local stopping services: Additional peak time and evening local stopping services that run between Manchester Piccadilly - Huddersfield – Leeds will only run between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield.

Dewsbury to Leeds (direct): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Dewsbury and Leeds. The estimated journey time is 25 minutes.

Huddersfield to Leeds (via Dewsbury): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Huddersfield and Leeds, calling only at Dewsbury. The estimated journey time is 65 minutes.

Huddersfield – Leeds (all local stations): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Huddersfield and Leeds. This service will stop at Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, and Cottingley. The estimated journey time is 89 minutes.

Huddersfield to Manchester Airport (via Stockport): An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Manchester Airport and Huddersfield, calling only at Stockport. The estimated journey time is 80 minutes.

Northern services

Wigan Wallgate – Leeds: This service will divert between Leeds and Sowerby Bridge, and will not call at Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Mirfield and Brighouse. This service will instead call at Bradford Interchange and Halifax.

Halifax – Leeds: An hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Halifax and Leeds, calling at Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley, and Morley. The estimated journey time is 83 minutes.