The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is one of the biggest rail investments in the North of England, modernising and electrifying the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. TRU improvements will reduce journey times, increase passenger capacity by 30%, enhance reliability through new digital signalling, and provide step-free access across 23 stations.

Huddersfield

Ravensthorpe Baker Viaduct

On the back of a breakthrough year that saw the £11bn programme electrify 25% of the route and deliver major engineering projects up and down its 70-mile footprint, the momentum powers forward this year.

TRU’s success and the capability of its 5000-strong workforce was recognised in January when the government committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). NPR unlocks a range of benefits for rail users from the 2030s, and as plans for the programme move forward, it is TRU – already two-thirds funded – that is delivering the infrastructure, skills and jobs for NPR to build upon.

By early next year, TRU aims to have delivered major improvements benefiting thousands of passengers at four stations along the route in West Yorkshire.

The first of those is Mirfield, which in January became the latest TRU station to reopen with a brand-new look, following Morley in 2024. The occasion was marked by local MP, Kim Leadbeater, and Zach Eagling, award-winning disability rights advocate, cutting the ribbon on a new step-free station with longer platforms and improved facilities.

Dewsbury and Batley stations are next, as 28 days of work this summer enables step-free transformations, like Mirfield, plus extended platforms and enhanced customer facilities.

Come the end of June, TRU will have transformed and reopened five back-to-back stations on the Transpennine route, with the exception of one: Ravensthorpe.

Looming large on the route in an expanse of engineering activity, this station, sat in what is known as the Ravensthorpe triangle, has been closed since December 2025 and is at the heart of one of the biggest civil engineering sites in the country.  The station will be relocated 200m west of its current site and will be modernised and support thousands of new homes nearby, while unlocking two new tracks.

Major engineering work is well underway at the adjacent Calder Road bridge and nearby Baker Viaduct, also vital in enabling the number of tracks through the area to be doubled from two to four. The two structures will be connected by a new, grade‑separated flyover, formed using a series of giant earthwork structures, including embankments and retaining walls. In 2025 approximately 130,000m³ of material was placed across Ravensthorpe triangle, with a similar volume planned this year.

Doubling the number of tracks through this stretch of railway is fundamental to TRU, because it means direct services will be able to overtake stopping services, reducing journey times and boosting capacity.

These direct services will primarily be operated by TransPennine Express (TPE), and this summer, TPE is due to procure 29 new trains through support from the TRU programme. These will enter service in phases as the upgraded route becomes ready in the early to mid-2030s.

Heading back closer to the eastern edge of the Pennines, Huddersfield station is in the midst of a generational transformation. Its current state of progress was accelerated by a mammoth 30-day closure in September last year, which included demolishing the old platforms and building new ones, strengthening Huddersfield viaduct, replacing John William Street bridge, installing nearly 2.4km of new track and completing signalling upgrades.

The Grade I listed Huddersfield station will be the fifth station and the fourth inside a year to be upgraded by the programme, with its reopening set for early 2027. The final touches will be made during a 31-day station closure beginning in this year’s festive period, unveiling a modernised rail hub with its rich heritage preserved.

More major milestones are only around the corner for 2027, as the programme aims to have electrified 40% of the line by the end of next year. Deighton station will be reopened with step-free access and improved facilities, and the huge Baker Viaduct works will come to a close, standing proud on the West Yorkshire landscape.

With over 450 apprentices now and almost £1bn already spent with local businesses, TRU is making epic strides transforming train travel in the North, leaving a transport and economic growth legacy, while delivering the capability for major programmes of the future.

Find out more about the Transpennine Route
Upgrade project.

Visit the dedicated website for the latest updates and further in-depth analysis:  theTRUpgrade.co.uk

Connect with us: @theTRUpgrade  company/theTRUpgrade @theTRUpgrade