Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

[61653 HTAFC]

Big crane in on Bradford Road Huddersfield. Town centre awash with rail replacement buses I must have passed 20 but could only see 3 passengers.

Another piece waiting to be lifted

Saw a few motorists getting confused by the road closures as we walked back into town after the match, including one idiot who ended up pointing the wrong way on the ring-road! It's not as if it wasn't clearly signposted!
Can't have been easy for the RRB drivers who might be unfamiliar with the area at the best of times. Things further complicated by several of the service bus routes also being diverted around the closures.

 

[AndyHudds]

Saw a few motorists getting confused by the road closures as we walked back into town after the match, including one idiot who ended up pointing the wrong way on the ring-road! It's not as if it wasn't clearly signposted!
Can't have been easy for the RRB drivers who might be unfamiliar with the area at the best of times. Things further complicated by several of the service bus routes also being diverted around the closures.

My mate walked down to the game via Hillhouse crossroads and he said it was just chaos round there and around Alder Street, cars everywhere.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

My mate walked down to the game via Hillhouse crossroads and he said it was just chaos round there and around Alder Street, cars everywhere.

It's bad enough round there on match days even without the works... must have been fun!

I was almost caught out after the game by the closure of Unna Way (for the uninitiated, that's the bit of the clockwise ring-road that dives underground just after passing under the railway), but I'm not certain that was anything to do with the railway works- it may have been weather-related.

 

[Narrowgauge725]

I walked out of town onto Bradford Road and up through Birkby after taking the photos. Everywhere was grid locked with match parking and traffic having to turn left and right onto Willow Lane. A little thought to re program the traffic lights to allow right turn without crossing traffic would have made the world of difference. Of course match day parking, queuing traffic and busses off route was always going to make it difficult

Interesting to see the on Sarah’slatest video wagons are from Ireland presumably the concrete beams have been made there Video

 

[swt_passenger]

Interesting to see the on Sarah’s latest video wagons are from Ireland presumably the concrete beams have been made there Video

One of NR‘s regular suppliers of concrete precast components is Shay Murtagh, they have provided many of the bits for major projects, such as the Dawlish Seawall.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I walked out of town onto Bradford Road and up through Birkby after taking the photos. Everywhere was grid locked with match parking and traffic having to turn left and right onto Willow Lane. A little thought to re program the traffic lights to allow right turn without crossing traffic would have made the world of difference. Of course match day parking, queuing traffic and busses off route was always going to make it difficult

Interesting to see the on Sarah’slatest video wagons are from Ireland presumably the concrete beams have been made there Video

Unsurprisingly most of Murphy's precast units come from Ireland. Certainly do in the rail sector.

 

[59CosG95]

Unsurprisingly most of Murphy's precast units come from Ireland. Certainly do in the rail sector.

I thought Murphy were only East of Leeds, with BAM covering West of Leeds?
(Not that it makes much difference, both BAM and Murphy have a presence in Ireland (both Ulster and the Republic)).

 

[YorkshireBear]

I thought Murphy were only East of Leeds, with BAM covering West of Leeds?
(Not that it makes much difference, both BAM and Murphy have a presence in Ireland (both Ulster and the Republic)).

Ah yes sorry got mixed up. As you say it's not just Murphy's who get precast from Ireland.

 

[superkev]

Re Huddersfield viaduct thus weekend works. Another Sarah Bell video showing start of yesterdays (Sat) crane lift of concrete beams.

Todays weather prob suspended operations.
K

 

[Leedslad_]

TRU brings in new year with new 200-tonne bridge and station enhancements

Over Christmas and New Year, a series of major upgrades across multiple sites on the Transpennine route took place, taking customers one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys between Manchester and York.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

In Leeds, Osmondthorpe Lane railway bridge was replaced by a 100-strong team of TRU engineers. The new structure, which weighs 200 tonnes, was moved into position in one piece by a self-propelled modular transport (SPMT) vehicle. Once in position, new tracks and over 270 tonnes of ballast were laid before the railway was handed back – on time – ready for passenger services to resume.

Nice update on Osmondthorpe Bridge replacement.

Last seconds of the video show 2x sidings and 2x mainline crossing the new bridge. Looks like there is room for 2 more lines - does anyone know if they are planned as part of TRU here?

 

[superkev]

According to the Bradford T and A reopening of the road under Hudds viaduct has been delayed by the weather until Tues.
The article also mentions the sucessfull works over Christmas to replace the bridge adjacent to Neville Hill depot and create the new entrance at Mirfield station as well as mast planting east for Leeds. Good progress.
See

Huge rail projects take place in Leeds and Mirfield - but Huddersfield work delayed

A SERIES of major upgrades have taken place over the Christmas and New Year period across several railway sites in West Yorkshire

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk

TRU brings in new year with new 200-tonne bridge and station enhancements

Over Christmas and New Year, a series of major upgrades across multiple sites on the Transpennine route took place, taking customers one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys between Manchester and York.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Nice update on Osmondthorpe Bridge replacement.

Last seconds of the video show 2x sidings and 2x mainline crossing the new bridge. Looks like there is room for 2 more lines - does anyone know if they are planned as part of TRU here?

I wonder if the replacement bridge adjacent to Neville hill depot has the same headroom as the previous.
K

 

[Tim_UK]

According to the Bradford T and A reopening of the road under Hudds viaduct has been delayed by the weather until Tues.

Nothing happening this morning and the crane gone.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I wonder if the new bridge has the same headroom as previous.
K

I don't think headroom will be an issue even if it has been reduced slightly. That section of the viaduct has more than enough clearance for anything but the largest of abnormal loads. Even the steel first span over John William Street has enough clearance for double decker buses (though in that location, only because the road surface has been lowered).

 

[Ploughman]

Was the reference to Neville Hill rather than Huddersfield?

 

[superkev]

Was the reference to Neville Hill rather than Huddersfield?

Yes adjacent to Neville Hill. Original pist edited.
K

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Yes adjacent to Neville Hill. Original pist edited.
K

Ah. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Tractor37]

TRU brings in new year with new 200-tonne bridge and station enhancements

Over Christmas and New Year, a series of major upgrades across multiple sites on the Transpennine route took place, taking customers one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys between Manchester and York.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Nice update on Osmondthorpe Bridge replacement.

Last seconds of the video show 2x sidings and 2x mainline crossing the new bridge. Looks like there is room for 2 more lines - does anyone know if they are planned as part of TRU here?

Yes the space on the south side of the bridge is what will be taken up by the new alignment

 

[Leedslad_]

Yes the space on the south side of the bridge is what will be taken up by the new alignment

Does that then mean 4 track? Thanks

 

[YorkshireBear]

Does that then mean 4 track? Thanks

No I think the track is being slewed to increase line speeds through Neville Hill area not four tracking.

 

[superkev]

Huddersfield station shut today with connecting buses to Brighouse (for TPE services), Stalybridge, Wakefield and Lockwood.
Presumably for further viaduct or/and roof work.
K

 

[Alexd]

Also closed for the next 3 weekends

 

[noddingdonkey]

Is there any published longer term list of longer term disruption due to TRU? I understand that plans can change, but it would be useful to have some idea of whether it will be trains or RRBs to the airport around Easter time.

 

[Tim_UK]

There are some concrete beams in over Bradford road in Huddersfield. North side. (sorry, I wasn't quick enough to grab a picture)

I'm not sure when they appeared. The road is open but still a lot more fenced off than usual, with a truck inside the fencing.

I guess a lot more work before it holds a track - I couldn't see if it looked complete or not.


Does anybody know what the future plan is?
Put track on the new span, move the running lines and then gives them a whole line of spare space to do the south side ????

 

[Geeves]

You might have better luck than me Tim but somewhere in this huge thread is a video which shows the Huddersfield plans.

Basically two phases. Phase one if I remember correctly sees the majority of the old layout striped out and the running lines pushed over into the new station platforms leaving three platforms in use over the far side

Phase two sees the older platforms brought back into use and the full layout competed including new fast lines using the completed bridge section you mentioned above.

That's my rough memory of it and apologies if it's wrong!

 

[Geogregor]

Interesting article describing complex groundworks at Ravensthorpe:

Ground improvement: A mix of techniques employed on challenging TRU West site | Ground Engineering

Challenging ground improvement works are progressing on the West of Leeds programme of the Transpennine Route Upgrade scheme.

www.geplus.co.uk

Map and diagram showing the challenges:

Lots of work just on foundation of the embankments:

 

[59CosG95]

No idea when they were uploaded, but the January 2025 trackers for Leeds to York (bisected by the M1 motorway) are now on the TRU website. I've attached them here for reference.

 

[superkev]

Interesting article describing complex groundworks at Ravensthorpe:

Ground improvement: A mix of techniques employed on challenging TRU West site | Ground Engineering

Challenging ground improvement works are progressing on the West of Leeds programme of the Transpennine Route Upgrade scheme.

www.geplus.co.uk

Map and diagram showing the challenges:

Lots of work just on foundation of the embankments:

Thanks most interesting. Kev

 

[YorkshireBear]

Good find. Certainly shows them cracking on between Cross Gates and Garforth.

No idea when they were uploaded, but the January 2025 trackers for Leeds to York (bisected by the M1 motorway) are now on the TRU website. I've attached them here for reference

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Interesting article describing complex groundworks at Ravensthorpe:

Ground improvement: A mix of techniques employed on challenging TRU West site | Ground Engineering

Challenging ground improvement works are progressing on the West of Leeds programme of the Transpennine Route Upgrade scheme.

www.geplus.co.uk

Map and diagram showing the challenges:

Lots of work just on foundation of the embankments:

Fantastic. Thanks for posting. Quite a bit of piling work getting done which is great. Very promising indeed.

 

[Ploughman]

Any photos of the Dynamic Compactor in use?
Wondering how similar it is to the Compactors I worked with in the Army.