Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

Jamesrob637 · Tuesday at 11:14

Yet another amazing Sarah Bell video is up:

No engineering this Bank Holiday weekend, I believe, unless there's a last-minute possession.

RailUK Forums

GRALISTAIR · Tuesday at 11:31

Jamesrob637 said:
No engineering this Bank Holiday weekend, I believe, unless there's a last-minute possession.

Probably a good idea. Last Bank Holiday of the year until xmas day. Try and give the traveling public a bit of a reprieve.

Whisky Papa · Tuesday at 13:00

GRALISTAIR said:
Probably a good idea. Last Bank Holiday of the year until xmas day. Try and give the traveling public a bit of a reprieve.

Leeds Festival over the weekend too, although I discovered to my surprise there is a block Saturday to Monday somewhere between Micklefield and Selby which has scuppered a Bank Holiday trip to Hull I had in mind.

LNW-GW Joint · Tuesday at 13:13

GRALISTAIR said:
Probably a good idea. Last Bank Holiday of the year until xmas day. Try and give the traveling public a bit of a reprieve.

And no doubt reducing the overtime bill for the project - just as HS2 has to do.
The TRU pay bill for the repeated possessions must be horrendous.

D6130 · Tuesday at 13:25

Whisky Papa said:
Leeds Festival over the weekend too, although I discovered to my surprise there is a block Saturday to Monday somewhere between Micklefield and Selby which has scuppered a Bank Holiday trip to Hull I had in mind.

You could go via York or Doncaster!

Whisky Papa · Tuesday at 13:45

D6130 said:
You could go via York or Doncaster!

True, although both options would still involve passing through Leeds as the Festival clears out - I've made that mistake before!

Anyway, I'm already in the process of getting my £28.99 back from Travelodge...

The exile · Tuesday at 13:47

swt_passenger said:
It’s also quite a while since the P1 and P2 designations were swapped round, (coming up to a year), so that shouldn't be a source of confusion now?

If you’re an occasional but long- time user of the station, it’ll take a lot longer than a year to wipe what’s been imprinted on your brain for 30 or 40 years. On my now rare visits to Edinburgh Waverley I get thoroughly confused as I grew up with the old numbering.

MrBeanie · Tuesday at 17:16

They seem to have gone backwards quite a bit from what the original station design was at Huddersfield. Whether they will get somewhere close to that by the end of all of this remains to be seen.
From what I recall I think there were 8 platforms for a lot of the br era. Even if the bay platform where the bike racks are now disappeared some time ago and was only really used for parcels even back then. I seem to remember it was 4 tracked in the main through lines at that time before any cutbacks started as well.
I'm guessing one of the main issues at the moment is that people are getting quite frustrated with the constant closures (speaking from my own experiences).

GRALISTAIR · Tuesday at 18:01

MrBeanie said:
I'm guessing one of the main issues at the moment is that people are getting quite frustrated with the constant closures (speaking from my own experiences).

It really is difficult to do a major upgrade without disruptions and closures.

Rikki Lamb · Tuesday at 18:04

MrBeanie said:
They seem to have gone backwards quite a bit from what the original station design was at Huddersfield. Whether they will get somewhere close to that by the end of all of this remains to be seen.
From what I recall I think there were 8 platforms for a lot of the br era. Even if the bay platform where the bike racks are now disappeared some time ago and was only really used for parcels even back then. I seem to remember it was 4 tracked in the main through lines at that time before any cutbacks started as well.
I'm guessing one of the main issues at the moment is that people are getting quite frustrated with the constant closures (speaking from my own experiences).

Not quite sure how you think it has gone backwards. There wasn't 8 platforms either, 2 were disused. It was four tracked between platforms 1 and 4 but 1 was widened in 1991.

I bet people who are frustrated (I commute from the station to work) would be complaining if it was completely closed so everything could take place at once.

MrBeanie · Tuesday at 19:11

I remember when Leeds was being remodelled and having multiple issues / closures for periods when I was still commuting 5 days a week. So I'm aware that you can't just close everything and try to do it all at once.
It's just a shame that things were run down over a period where various track became run down or was abandoned / lifted, and it now becomes a much larger task to either remodel or even reinstate some of what used to exist.

YorksLad12 · Tuesday at 19:18

Rikki Lamb said:
Not quite sure how you think it has gone backwards. There wasn't 8 platforms either, 2 were disused. It was four tracked between platforms 1 and 4 but 1 was widened in 1991.

I bet people who are frustrated (I commute from the station to work) would be complaining if it was completely closed so everything could take place at once.

Agreed. What we're getting is appropriate for the level of service, which is unlikely to increase further due to limitations elsewhere. Rebuilding out P1 in 1991, and then P2 in 2025, has meant more platform space for the Penistone Line services, which is much better than occasionally-used through lines for freight services. And I don't think you could do it all quickly even if you did/could close the whole route for a year.

One of the disused platforms was dedicated to the Kirkburton service until that section closed; the other is still there, even with the rest of the work going on!

david_g · Tuesday at 20:55

MrBeanie said:
They seem to have gone backwards quite a bit from what the original station design was at Huddersfield. Whether they will get somewhere close to that by the end of all of this remains to be seen.
From what I recall I think there were 8 platforms for a lot of the br era. Even if the bay platform where the bike racks are now disappeared some time ago and was only really used for parcels even back then. I seem to remember it was 4 tracked in the main through lines at that time before any cutbacks started as well.
I'm guessing one of the main issues at the moment is that people are getting quite frustrated with the constant closures (speaking from my own experiences).

Huddersfield may have had 8 platforms but by the end of the sixties only six were in passenger use:
1 Main up (Stalybridge bound) passenger platform
2 Sheffield bay
3 Kirkburton bay, after the Kirkburton passenger service was withdrawn used only for parcels
Two through roads under the by then missing lantern of the Euston roof, this became a problem when platform 1 was moved out in 1991 and would be an even bigger problem after the recent building out if the lantern were not being reinstated.
4 Used for a variety of services, the daily Huddersfield/Halifax - Kings Cross portion reversed here.
5&6 East facing bays used by local services to Leeds and Wakefield Westgate(for Kings Cross)
7 West facing bay too short to be of any practical use. It may have been longer at one time but the building of the signal box on the 4/8 island meant it couldn't be any longer, this would be before my time.
8 Main down(Leeds bound) passenger platform

I have a vague memory that for a while (possibly before it was built out) platform 1 wasn't used much and platform 4 became the main up platform. Perhaps someone else can confirm this.

Remember that by then there were no local services west of Huddersfield and only an hourly service of Leeds - Manchester & beyond trains, mainly Trans-Pennine units with a flurry of loco hauled service in the morning, round lunchtime and early evening. It was thin times for a trainspotter who wasn't much interested in units. The service nowadays, even with the disruption, is so much better.

Nicholas Lewis · Tuesday at 21:11

Jamesrob637 said:
Yet another amazing Sarah Bell video is up:

No engineering this Bank Holiday weekend, I believe, unless there's a last-minute possession.

Theyve made impressive progress here you have to wonder why we stull need another 5 years before there is any really improvement for the services using the station though

Welshman · Tuesday at 21:22

david_g said:
I have a vague memory that for a while (possibly before it was built out) platform 1 wasn't used much and platform 4 became the main up platform. Perhaps someone else can confirm this.

Remember that by then there were no local services west of Huddersfield and only an hourly service of Leeds - Manchester & beyond trains, mainly Trans-Pennine units with a flurry of loco hauled service in the morning, round lunchtime and early evening. It was thin times for a trainspotter who wasn't much interested in units. The service nowadays, even with the disruption, is so much better.

Your memory serves you well.
In my time in Huddersfield during the 70s, platform 1 was mainly used for the stabling of parcels stock.

GRALISTAIR · Tuesday at 22:03

Nicholas Lewis said:
Theyve made impressive progress here you have to wonder why we stull need another 5 years before there is any really improvement for the services using the station though

W2B and W2C ?

Nicholas Lewis · Tuesday at 22:32

GRALISTAIR said:
W2B and W2C ?

Too much sequential working when they've had the opportunity to use the long blockades to work on other fronts. At least Huddersfield passengers will have a nicer environment soon.

Iskra · Wednesday at 07:36

Does anyone know if the new Hillhouse depot (is it a depot or just stabling sidings?) at Huddersfield, will have sidings for diesel trains as well as the extant electric sidings? Is the depot going to get much bigger in terms of track layout than it currently is?

(And yes, I appreciate that diesel trains can use electric sidings)

wellhouse · Wednesday at 09:18

Iskra said:
Does anyone know if the new Hillhouse depot (is it a depot or just stabling sidings?) at Huddersfield, will have sidings for diesel trains as well as the extant electric sidings? Is the depot going to get much bigger in terms of track layout than it currently is?

(And yes, I appreciate that diesel trains can use electric sidings)

Hillhouse is a Light Maintenance Depot, already handling diesel trains. It will ultimately have 5 lines. More info courtesy of Northern here;

New £46 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers opens in Yorkshire | Northern News

A state-of-the-art £46.5 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers has opened in Yorkshire.

media.northernrailway.co.uk

"The depot, which is open 24 hours a day, will provide five lines with modern maintenance facilities that can accommodate up to 24 carriages.

Engineers will begin by working on diesel trains on two lines. Another three will be completed in the coming years, before electric and bi-mode services are introduced."

stevieinselby · Wednesday at 09:51

Nicholas Lewis said:
Theyve made impressive progress here you have to wonder why we stull need another 5 years before there is any really improvement for the services using the station though

At a guess, they need to complete most/all of the works along the whole route between Manchester and York before any new timetable can be implemented – having more capacity at one spot doesn't help if there's still a bottleneck 5 miles down the track. In any major project, there will be something that is completed first and then has to just sit and wait for everything else to catch up.

Iskra · Wednesday at 11:23

wellhouse said:
Hillhouse is a Light Maintenance Depot, already handling diesel trains. It will ultimately have 5 lines. More info courtesy of Northern here;

New £46 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers opens in Yorkshire | Northern News

A state-of-the-art £46.5 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers has opened in Yorkshire.

media.northernrailway.co.uk

"The depot, which is open 24 hours a day, will provide five lines with modern maintenance facilities that can accommodate up to 24 carriages.

Engineers will begin by working on diesel trains on two lines. Another three will be completed in the coming years, before electric and bi-mode services are introduced."

Thanks!

YorkshireBear · Wednesday at 13:33

stevieinselby said:
At a guess, they need to complete most/all of the works along the whole route between Manchester and York before any new timetable can be implemented – having more capacity at one spot doesn't help if there's still a bottleneck 5 miles down the track. In any major project, there will be something that is completed first and then has to just sit and wait for everything else to catch up.

Mostly yes. But local services between Leeds and Huddersfield will be able to be improved long before Huddersfield to Stalybridge is finished.

Narrowgauge725 · Wednesday at 19:27

MrBeanie said:
They seem to have gone backwards quite a bit from what the original station design was at Huddersfield. Whether they will get somewhere close to that by the end of all of this remains to be seen.
From what I recall I think there were 8 platforms for a lot of the br era. Even if the bay platform where the bike racks are now disappeared some time ago and was only really used for parcels even back then. I seem to remember it was 4 tracked in the main through lines at that time before any cutbacks started as well.
I'm guessing one of the main issues at the moment is that people are getting quite frustrated with the constant closures (speaking from my own experiences).

just found this

Platform numbering schemes at stations

The difference is that in Glasgow, some destinations can be reached from both HL and LL platforms, and I think the signalling is integrated. Glasgow Central High Level is controlled from the West of Scotland Signalling Centre (SC), Queen Street High Level from Edinburgh SC, but the Low Level...

www.railforums.co.uk

Nicholas Lewis · Wednesday at 21:24

wellhouse said:
Hillhouse is a Light Maintenance Depot, already handling diesel trains. It will ultimately have 5 lines. More info courtesy of Northern here;

New £46 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers opens in Yorkshire | Northern News

A state-of-the-art £46.5 million facility built to keep trains running for passengers has opened in Yorkshire.

media.northernrailway.co.uk

"The depot, which is open 24 hours a day, will provide five lines with modern maintenance facilities that can accommodate up to 24 carriages.

Engineers will begin by working on diesel trains on two lines. Another three will be completed in the coming years, before electric and bi-mode services are introduced."

thats an expensive LMD £9m/siding presumably they added in all the costs for providing the mainline connections and signalling

Geeves · Thursday at 00:24

Nicholas Lewis said:
thats an expensive LMD £9m/siding presumably they added in all the costs for providing the mainline connections and signalling

Its exactly double the price of the very similar King Street depot at Blackburn, only this one is wired, that's probably another ten million and then the inflation on construction materials is probably the rest.

One turnout starts at around 250k according to Gemini.

YorkshireBear · Thursday at 07:07

Fair amount of mining remediation needed at hillhouse too.

neil65 · Thursday at 10:17

I took some photos yesterday evening from the back of Huddersfield station showing the new canopies over the new platforms 4,5, & 6, plus the bridges on John William street, plus some pub shots!!
New lifts, footbridge and platform extension roof