Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

[GRALISTAIR]

No idea when they were uploaded, but the January 2025 trackers for Leeds to York (bisected by the M1 motorway) are now on the TRU website. I've attached them here for reference.

That is a serious amount of piling going on. I can actually see how all piles between Leeds and York will be in place/driven by the end of 2025. Great news and progress.

 

[GhostManDN91]

Definitely impressive. I'm gonna have to go for a ride on TPE to York soon to see the progress taking place.

 

[WAO]

One now begins to see where (and why) the money is spent, in driving a 4-track railway over rubbish tips.

WAO

 

[Halish Railway]

No idea when they were uploaded, but the January 2025 trackers for Leeds to York (bisected by the M1 motorway) are now on the TRU website. I've attached them here for reference.

Good to see how much pilling is going to take place.

Am I right in not taking ‘cable installation’ to mean OLE installation, rather work such as signal cable troughing.

 

[Nottingham59]

One now begins to see where (and why) the money is spent, in driving a 4-track railway over rubbish tips.

WAO

It would be good to get detailed cost breakdowns by activity for TRU. It's easy to assume that civils works like extra piling are the root source of high costs on TRU, but I'm not so sure.

Many cost overruns on HS2 were blamed on things like "tunnelling costs in the Chilterns", but I think some of those are excuses, diverting attention from the actual causes of cost increases.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The former landfill site at Ravensthorpe is not a particularly friendly environment for construction, but it is a brownfield site that won't trigger the NIMBYs in the same way some of the HS2 locations have.
The complexity of this construction in 2025 does put into perspective how remarkable some of the work done back in the 19th century was. Of course labour was cheaper and there wasn't much care given to safety of the workforce, but it's still mind boggling what was achieved with nothing like the technology available today.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Good to see how much pilling is going to take place.

Am I right in not taking ‘cable installation’ to mean OLE installation, rather work such as signal cable troughing.

That is how I took it. There would have to be

1. piling - not necessarily totally complete.
2. Masts
3. Cantilevers etc (SPS - small part steelworks)
4. Wiring

So I agree, when it talks about cabling it has to mean SCADA - signaling, communication and Data Aquisition and other cables - NOT OHLE

 

[YorkshireBear]

Agreed, based on my daily travels on the route there are a lot of cable routing jobs ongoing so I imagine it relates to that.

 

[Manutd1999]

That is a serious amount of piling going on. I can actually see how all piles between Leeds and York will be in place/driven by the end of 2025. Great news and progress.

Good to see yes, but let's not give them too much credit. Getting on with it and making progress shouldn't be such a shock to everyone - it's how work should be done. Unfortunately there are far too many examples of stop-start works progressing at a snails pace, which make this look more impressive.

 

[Spartacus]

Interesting article describing complex groundworks at Ravensthorpe:

Ground improvement: A mix of techniques employed on challenging TRU West site | Ground Engineering

Challenging ground improvement works are progressing on the West of Leeds programme of the Transpennine Route Upgrade scheme.

www.geplus.co.uk

Very interesting. It's funny that not long ago cell 2 was still being farmed, before it was quarried and then landfilled. Before that it was a coal tip for the nearby power station before that was closed then rebuilt as a gas powered one, the coal mostly coming in by barge.

I always wondered what the approach would be considering the large amounts of asbestos that were visibly dumped, especially in cell 1.

I wonder what the approach to the new station will be, that being on the site of an old colliery?

 

[coxxy]

Noticed today seems to be more track down at the end of Huddersfield viaduct and running next to the new sidings and work site.

 

[superkev]

Some new Robert Stenhouse pics on Flickr showing concrete poring yesterday on the Baker Viaduct and Ravensthorpe overbridge piers. Sorry don't know how provide link.
I see Hudds station is closed again this weekend. Not sure what progress is presumably the viaduct.
K

 

[Alexd]

Some new Robert Stenhouse pics on Flickr showing concrete poring yesterday on the Baker Viaduct and Ravensthorpe overbridge piers. Sorry don't know how provide link.
I see Hudds station is closed again this weekend. Not sure what progress is presumably the viaduct.
K

Hudds station closure is the second of 5 consecutive weekend closures

 

[swt_passenger]

Some new Robert Stenhouse pics on Flickr showing concrete poring yesterday on the Baker Viaduct and Ravensthorpe overbridge piers. Sorry don't know how provide link.

Here you are:

Baker Viaduct Construction 17.01.25

Looking west towards Ravensthorpe station, the ongoing work on bridge supports, some concreate pouring in progress today.

flic.kr

 

[superkev]

Here you are:

Baker Viaduct Construction 17.01.25

Looking west towards Ravensthorpe station, the ongoing work on bridge supports, some concreate pouring in progress today.

flic.kr

Thanks

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I counted 60 masts up west of Church Fenton towards Micklefield today, and another 53 between Copley Hill and Morley west of Leeds (Down side view).
Plenty of piles installed around Micklefield and Garforth
Impressive progress.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I counted 60 masts up west of Church Fenton towards Micklefield today, and another 53 between Copley Hill and Morley west of Leeds (Down side view).
Plenty of piles installed around Micklefield and Garforth
Impressive progress.

@LDECRexile also did a run to York on that route yesterday/today and noted great progress. He sent me a text

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Was the Ashburys to Miles Platting line ever considered for electrification?

 

[Halish Railway]

Was the Ashburys to Miles Platting line ever considered for electrification?

Yes it was, but was dropped at an early stage. There was even two overbridges that were reconstructed to accommodate the wires, as seen at 05:54 and 06:40 in this video.

 

[themiller]

Was the Ashburys to Miles Platting line ever considered for electrification?

According to TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain (3rd edition of 2017) page 128, ISBN 978 1909431 26 3, it was to be done in CP6.

 

[superkev]

Latest Youtube videos from Sarah Bell and Network Rails week on the network show progress at Huddersfield viaduct with all 4of 5 of the main span beams on place although no crossbeams or deckongyeg.
Further east around Ravensthorpe the abutments for Baker Viaduct and Colne bridge look well on and what looks like some mast foundations taking place.
K

 

[D Mylchreest]

Yes it was, but was dropped at an early stage. There was even two overbridges that were reconstructed to accommodate the wires, as seen at 05:54 and 06:40 in this video.

Thanks for that, I hadn't noticed it on your channel. As a child, I used to wander around the Ancoats area on my bike, so much of Manchester's industrial heritage has just disappeared.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Noticed for the first time today piles in the ground between Church Fenton station and the start of the existing run of OLE.

Fastenings (sorry too thick for the more technical term) appearing on piles from Garforth to Micklefield.

 

[59CosG95]

Noticed for the first time today piles in the ground between Church Fenton station and the start of the existing run of OLE.

Fastenings (sorry too thick for the more technical term) appearing on piles from Garforth to Micklefield.

I noticed those the other week too - although, in fairness, I've been looking out the window with a gimlet eye every time I travel via train between Newcastle & Derby!
The "fastenings" of which you speak are the holding down bolts - they normally signify that the masts won't be *too* far away.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I noticed those the other week too - although, in fairness, I've been looking out the window with a gimlet eye every time I travel via train between Newcastle & Derby!
The "fastenings" of which you speak are the holding down bolts - they normally signify that the masts won't be *too* far away.

Aye I knew they meant good progress just couldn't remember the name (my area of engineering is much more mud based). Thank you for that!

The winter hasn't helped as I commute mostly in dark but it's just becoming light enough to see progress again.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Noticed for the first time today piles in the ground between Church Fenton station and the start of the existing run of OLE.

Fastenings (sorry too thick for the more technical term) appearing on piles from Garforth to Micklefield.

What I like about what I have seen so far is that work is ongoing in various sections of the route. It is not just confined to one area. I have been reliably informed there is ground work surveys and planning and even design work ongoing even on W2B and W2C which is not visible but in the background.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Thing that has shocked me is when I heard a few months ago the target for cross gates to Church Fenton was early 2026 I scoffed. How wrong I was! Absolutely rapid progress being made. I see there is a four week block at Church Fenton in January which I assume is for the new track alignment in that area.

 

[3RDGEN]

Thing that has shocked me is when I heard a few months ago the target for cross gates to Church Fenton was early 2026 I scoffed. How wrong I was! Absolutely rapid progress being made. I see there is a four week block at Church Fenton in January which I assume is for the new track alignment in that area.

"Church Fenton" to Colton Junction is due for early (April) 2026 but Cross Gates to Church Fenton is years off, April 2030 is NR's completion date at present for Leeds - Church Fenton. Where was this early 2026 date quoted?

 

[YorkshireBear]

"Church Fenton" to Colton Junction is due for early (April) 2026 but Cross Gates to Church Fenton is years off, April 2030 is NR's completion date at present for Leeds - Church Fenton. Where was this early 2026 date quoted?

Post 8677, I was skeptical but then source was provided. I think we are talking about installation not entry into service as well.

When I look at the rate of work on this section now I'm not as surprised as I was. Piles for this section are probably now above 75% and steelwork is springing up particularly Micklefield to Church Fenton and the big site at Church Fenton is cracking on rapidly with a four week block in January 2026 which will see a lot of work done.

PS when we say cross gates I think it's a fair bit short of cross gates, it might actually be around Thorpe Park where the western limit of this phase is.

 

[kmc1962]

I visited Huddersfield Station this morning to see what progress has been made recently, and it looks to me as though the first segment of the new lantern roof has been installed. I took some pictures with my phone - apologies for quality.