Two stations to close during rail route upgrade

A section of the main railway line between Leeds and Manchester will close on Saturday for 16 days and cause significant disruption for passengers.

As part of the latest phase of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, both Huddersfield and Slaithwaite stations will close completely and buses will replace trains.

Services between the two major cities will be diverted via Brighouse on the Calder Valley line.

Paul Sumner from Transpennine Route Upgrade said: "We've had to balance when to keep trains running and when to close the railway so that we can carry out complex engineering work in a safe working environment."

The upgrade work will see two extra tracks installed to allow fast trains to overtake slow services between Huddersfield and Dewsbury.

Work at Huddersfield Station is also continuing with longer platforms being added, restoration of the historic roof canopy, and subway extensions for improved accessibility.

At Deighton the station is being completely rebuilt and a new bridge installed. It is expected to reopen in 2027.

Sumner added: "The investment is much needed and it will improve passenger journeys, and by doing this work now passengers should start to see some of the benefits next year."

Separately the government has announced that a fleet of new trains for the Transpennine route will be built in Derby, but will not be operational until 2034.

The trains will run on electricity from newly installed overhead wires, but will also carry batteries to allow them to reach destinations like Hull and Scarborough, where electrification work has not taken place.

There will be a further 38-day closure of Huddersfield Station starting on Christmas Eve.

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