Keeping you moving
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is transforming rail travel across the North. It's a multi-billion-pound programme that will better connect customers between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, bringing faster, more frequent and greener journeys.
Upgrading the Transpennine main line means that, at times, sections of the railway will need to close while major improvements are carried out.
So, your journey might look a little different during this time, but we’ll get you there.
What this means for your journey
On weekends between 8th August and 13th September, excluding bank holiday weekend, work is taking place between Huddersfield, Leeds and York. For all or part of your journey, rail replacement buses will keep you moving while teams carry out track and signalling upgrades and install overhead wires to enable electrification.
Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling via National Rail or with train operators TransPennine Express or Northern.
Building a better railway for the North
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is already delivering benefits for customers across the route. Thousands of metres of new track, major station upgrades and electrification are transforming the route, increasing capacity, improving accessibility and connectivity and enabling greener journeys.
Major progress is well underway, with more than 25% of the railway now electrified which will rise to 40% by Summer 2027 and full electrification by the early 2030s.
Across the route, all 23 TRU stations are being upgraded, many with step-free access, while improvements to trains and services are helping create a faster and better-connected railway.
Once TRU is complete, customers will benefit from journeys between Manchester and York that are up to 20% faster and creating around 30% more seats for customers.
Transforming stations across the route
TRU is improving the customer experience with more accessible stations, modern facilities and better connections across the region.
New stations at Morley and Mirfield are already open, while upgrades at Batley and Dewsbury are on track to be completed later this year.
The next phase includes major station improvements at Huddersfield, with a more accessible, modern station planned for early 2027.
Once complete, the programme will have transformed five stations across West Yorkshire, making journeys easier and more comfortable for local communities.
Supporting jobs, skills and future generations
TRU is investing in local communities as well as the railway, creating jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities across the North.
The programme has already generated billions in social value and employed hundreds of apprentices. By 2035, it is expected to support thousands of jobs, including 590 apprenticeships, helping to build skills and opportunities for future generations.