Transpennine Route Upgrade

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 in the north of England. It is the 76 miles (122 km) northern route over the Pennines,[1] most of which is also known as the Huddersfield line. As of 2024, 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 closure of the Woodhead line, there are three remaining 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 £137 million investment to improve capacity and connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield.[3][4] To the north the Calder Valley line connects 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.[5]

Reopening the Woodhead line as a potential alternative Pennine crossing was ruled out early on.[6] 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.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Coming soon Transpennine Railway Upgrade". Transpennine Route Upgrade. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ Abbott, James (20 May 2021). "Hope Valley Upgrade Third Express Path Per Hour". Modern Railways.
  5. ^ "Calder Valley rail route to keep Transpennine passengers moving this month". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "The Skipton-Colne Rail Corridor: The New Transpennine Northern Link" (PDF). Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership. November 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Campaign to reopen railway between Colne and Skipton intensifies". Rail Insider. 28 May 2021.