Transpennine Route Upgrade! Huddersfield to Dewsbury [TRU] 

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Wow no wonder this is costing so much… it is a lot bigger rebuild and upgrades than I expected - thank you for your help in explaining what going on

That’s a big infrastructure project going on there - when this is all done, it will make a heck of a difference!

i wish you could show diagrams of the 3 new stations with their present layouts so you can compare

Another very interesting and informative video. Together with the other video on this work this is clearly a massive project. But as noted it doesn't seem to conjure up much interest. All the focus is on HS2 and its cutbacks, as well as East West Rail. I'm sure passengers will really notice the difference when this is all completed!

Thank you for explaining this so well and visually. Being a regular traveler between Leeds and Mirfield it’s really good to know what’s going on.

Looks good, I'm mostly on TRU East at the moment but I've had inductions onto TRU West and TRU central and done a handful of shifts between the two. It's interesting seeing the detail of other aspects of the project.

This is great, thank you so much

An additional note on this section, the works are supposed to increase the fast line speed from 75 to 100 mph from Huddersfield to Ravensthorpe and to 90 on through Dewsbury. By my math, that's a saving of ~15 seconds per mile, so over ~7 miles that's about two minutes. Not much time savings by itself, but it should add up with the rest of the program. Like a lot of current projects, it seems the capacity and infrastructure reliability aspects are the more significant.

Could do with extending the 4 track section from Huddersfield to Marsden tbh,as I'm often held due to capacity, or lack of! Still love driving the route and seen many changes over the last few decades. In fact the Micklehurst loop would come in handy to as traffic levels increase. I have been told that in future the quadrupling of Huddersfield to Marsden is being considered and the placement of the OHLE will enable this to happen. I'll have retired by the time the current works are done. JG.

Thanks for the update. Keep uploading these longer videos guys. That provides me with even more enjoyment. Keep up the good work👍

Great video. Haven't been able to find much useful information on this section of the TRU before and you've summed it up really well. Keep it up👍

Really interesting video, I hope the Calder valley line eventually gets electrified aswell.

Great video, really enjoyed it

Just seen both your videos about the TRU! I was aware work was being done but i hadn't realised this was THE electrification we have been asking for our region for decades! I can't believe more hasn't been done to promote or advertise that this is the key electrification work that will improve so much of the east-west pennine line! I appreciate your thorough breakdown and look forward to seeing more! Consider me subscribed! That said will you be covering more station upgrades? Batley has been undergoing many changes to the station line, i think they're also getting the expanded tracks? They have also changed the old railway crossing at Lady Anne in Batley where the last remaining station house with a member of staff used to work. There's also the White Rose station which is nearing upgrade completion. I can't remember if Morley is getting anything new. I'd love to see a third video with all this and more towards Leeds! Many thanks 🙏🏽

I live in Rochdale and try to stay abreast of rail infrastructure. Recently walked the Caddle & Hebble Nav and saw the engineering work. My first thought was "that's a lot of work to install some overheads". I had no idea this project was so big and entailed building extra lines and new stations. Why is this project so under publicised?

I wish they'd 4-track between Shenfield and Colchester capacity is not great.

BRADLEY JUNCTION & MIRFIELD STATION All in all an extremely well presented, nicely paced and informative video.......although the following observations are perhaps worthy of consideration: BRADLEY JUNCTION With the vast amounts of money being spent why on earth is the line from Bradley Junction, (the connection round to the Calder Valley LYR route), not being doubled.....er, make that restored to its former condition as a double track route...? Whilst clearly the connections here are to be to and from the Slow Lines, we will still be left with very low speed (currently 25 - 30 MPH...and slower) junctions at both ends of this curve connection between the former LNWR and LYR routes.......especially at 'The Lanky' end. A little imaginative planning and the use of improved point switches could easily see 50 MPH running through and across the junctions at both ends. Something easily achieved with double track. This wuld be a distinct improvement on the pedestrian-paced meander trains have to make today through the 'single ladder-type junctions' to and from the double track at each end. Clearly an opportunity missed...? MIRFIELD STATION Why on earth the existing single platform at Mirfield is not being retained is a mystery......especially given the fact that it presents no interference to any of the new works being carried out.... plus the fact that it is already there...? The platform is a fairly substantial structure and retaining it would not be an overly costly maintenance burdon, with only a daily sweep and lighting kept servicable, being required. Whilst under the new plans this would mean the platform is located adjacent to the new Up Fast, one would have thought its usefulness......... during possible future engineering work, diversions or operational difficulties........would have been recognised, and the case for its retention understood....? Another opportunity missed....? James Hennighan Yorkshire, England

Great video, just one thing I want to pull you up on. Deighton is pronounced Dee ton not Day ton

Until your videos I wasn't actually aware of this work going on at all, but I'm well aware of the east-west/varsity line work between Cambridge and Oxford. This country really does have a Southern bais

Will the recent Network Rail Design Guide be used for the stations to match new stations in the South, e.g., Beaulieu Park, Chelmsford

Had any decision been made yet on changes at Dewsbury station. Flyer at the station says there is to be a new underpass for passengers. Are there plans to take down the present footbridge (listed)?

It's interesting why it doesn't get the attention of the East West Railway down South?

From observations, they know how to waste money and do nothing for weeks & months, I'm there everyweek. But they did find coal seam about 3ft thick at the new bridge & station site at Ravensthorpe. Middelton seam incase you wonder what it's called.

What's the timescale for completion?

WISER HEADS & AN EASIER TRANS - PENNINE ROUTE Had 'Wiser Heads' prevailed a newer and faster railway across The Pennines could have been constructed down the centre of the M62, with a sweeping new High Speed connection coming off it onto the existing Calder Valley (LYR route), where it crosses the M62 at the former Castleton South Junction (between Jcts 20 & 19).This would have put a fast route into Manchester Victoria. It could even have run on and joined either the Bury -Manchester line at Besses O' the Barn, (Jct 17 of the M62)....or towards Swinton and joined the Bolton - Manchester Line near to what was Pepper Hill Jct Signal Box. A sweeping High Speed connection at Pepper Hill would have been easily achieved given the amount of land in the valley bottom there. Unfortunately a number of insanely stupid ideas, by the politicians and what was BR....together with crackpot changes to the infrastructure..... have conspired to defeat this possibility. Firstly we had the lunatics in political office in Manchester going after the Commonwealth Games......and decimating Manchester Victoria in the process. These are the same politicians, (again with BR assistance), who closed the Bury to Manchester Third Rail System down in favour of the Metro Tram. Retention of the Third Rail System, (ex LYR) would have served as the basis for the extensive electrification of the railway system across both Lancashire and Yorkshire...and beyond. All at a fraction of the cost of what is now being spent on upgrades and plans for future electrification. The connection down to the central part of the M62 at Besses O' the Barn from the Bury - Manchester line would have been a piece of cake. Then, of course, we had the same lunatics...so Manchester politicians and BR once again......closing down the Fast Lines from Thorpes Bridge Jct down past Queens Road, Smedley Jct and Cheetham Hill Jct and Redbank Sidings into Victoria........so a four track raiway into Victoria lost there.............and that's even without mentioning the destruction of Manchester Exchange, which had it been retained could have formed the basis for a major new station. Indeed, this was to have been the location for the planned Manchester Trinity Station... When you throw in the vast expenditure on construction in giving the M62 so-called 'Smart Motorway' status we have the obvious loss of the possible new railway route along it. Additionally, the attraction for the car owner of using their own vehicles has been boosted with the creation of running lanes on the former 'Hard Shoulder' Talk about opportunities lost...! James Hennighan Yorkshire, England

It's pronounced Deeton. Dayton is in Ohio.

Really interesting video, wasn't aware of this works

‘Network Fail’ - Demolition by stealth specialists. Gradually eradicating all our lovely old railways stations, throughout the country, and replacing them with bus stops, nice! Not good, you need to raise your expectations