Transpennine Route Upgrade

rdf:langString Transpennine Route Upgrade

rdf:langString The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a major investment being made in the railway between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield – the 76 miles (122 km) northern route over the Pennines, most of which is also known as the Huddersfield line. As of 2022, the line is heavily used but is slow and lacks capacity. It has Victorian infrastructure, covers difficult terrain including the 3-mile (4.8 km) Standedge Tunnel, and has poor access roads. So, improving it is seen as challenging and very disruptive. Since the rejection of Northern Powerhouse Rail's aspiration for a new high speed line within Yorkshire, it has been questioned whether an upgraded Huddersfield line will provide sufficient capacity for the region's needs. However, the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP) that was announced in November 2021, includes full electrification between Manchester and York. The research briefing paper for Northern Powerhouse Rail, published August 2022 reconfirmed this. The whole £9bn to £11.5bn project has been defined as phase one of Northern Powerhouse Rail with a projected completion date of between 2036 and 2041. In Manchester, the project interfaces with the Northern Hub. In August 2022, it was claimed it was the biggest infrastructure project in the UK. There are three transpennine rail lines that connect Lancashire and Yorkshire. To the south of the Huddersfield line is the Hope Valley line which traverses even more difficult terrain including the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) Totley Tunnel, and which in 2021 was allocated £137 million investment to improve capacity and connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield. To the north the Calder Valley line joins Manchester and Leeds via Rochdale and Bradford (where trains have to reverse). This line has been strengthened to allow its use as a diversionary route while the Huddersfield line is upgraded. Reopening the Woodhead line as a potential alternative Pennine crossing was ruled out early on. The Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership is a campaign that is seeking the reopening of the 12-mile (19 km) railway line that used to run between the Lancashire town of Colne and the Yorkshire town of Skipton. This could provide an additional transpennine route for both a commuter service and a relief transpennine freight route.