Transpennine Route Upgrade | Bridge Replacement And Station Milestones Hit Over Holidays

Over the recent Christmas and New Year period, significant upgrades were carried out on the Transpennine Route, a key rail link between Manchester and York.

In Leeds, engineers replaced the Osmondthorpe Lane railway bridge as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) initiative. A dedicated team of 100 workers successfully manoeuvred a new 200t bridge into place using a self-propelled modular transport vehicle. Following the bridge replacement, over 270t of ballast were laid, allowing passenger services to resume promptly.

Footage of the bridge replacement can be seen below.

Further upgrades occurred in Mirfield, where the Station Road railway bridge was replaced. This upgrade will facilitate the construction of an accessible entrance to the station and support a redesigned platform layout.

In Church Fenton, near York, groundwork was laid for new overhead line equipment, paving the way for electric trains to operate through the area in the future. Additionally, track points vital for directing trains between lines were renewed in Miles Platting, Manchester.

The work was managed by the TRU East Alliance, a collaboration involving Network Rail, Murphy, Systra, VolkerRail and Siemens.

Looking ahead, the agencies involved are planning a series of further track, station and bridge upgrades, scheduled over six weekends in January and February, along with three additional weeks of work in March.

The overall TRU programme is expected to lead to several benefits for passengers, including a higher frequency of services, faster journey times and improved reliability. Estimates suggest new travel times will reduce to approximately 63-66 minutes from Manchester to York and 41-42 minutes from Manchester to Leeds.

In addition to improving passenger services, the project aims to cut carbon emissions significantly, with the potential to save as much as 87,000t annually. This aligns with government goals for net zero emissions while also considering the movement of goods by rail—a proposal that could see an increased number of freight trains, equivalent to removing over 1,000 lorries from the roads each day.

The TRU programme is also poised to boost local employment, with an emphasis on hiring from within local regions. Currently, 2,000 workers are involved, a figure expected to double as the project progresses. Furthermore, the initiative is committed to enhancing local biodiversity by ensuring a 10% net gain across the route.

The comprehensive upgrades aim to bring the Transpennine line into the 21st century through complete electrification, digital signalling implementation and expansions in track space for improved service capacity.

TRU interim managing director Gordon Kells said: “Over Christmas and New Year, we completed significant upgrades across multiple sites on our route, improving journeys between Manchester and York.

“I’d like to say thank you to our neighbours for their support and everyone that worked over this period, whose efforts contributed to the safe and successful completion of a number of key upgrades, setting us off to a strong start in 2025.”

East of Leeds Alliance director for TRU Andy Stocks said: “I want to say a big thank you to our customers and neighbours for bearing with us during this period as our engineers completed significant work between York and Leeds to facilitate ongoing electrification of the Route, which included a major bridge upgrade in the Osmondthorpe area of Leeds.

“Our engineers worked around the clock, demonstrating outstanding teamwork and professionalism to replace the old bridge deck with a stronger one. This complex task required dedication and commitment from all involved, and the successful, on-time completion reflects the pride we take in delivering quality work that makes a real difference.

“This key milestone takes us one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable services between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.”

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