Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

[swt_passenger]

The actual height restriction isn't strictly the problem here. The arch is not centred over the road, so high vehicles heading towards Rastrick are basically using the wrong side of the road, approaching a blind bend for oncoming traffic. I drove it once in a double-decker while route-learing, a very nerve-wracking experience!

I just looked at Streetview, heading in the direction of travel, there are white ‘goal posts’ offset well to the right, but before reaching the bridge also a road surface painted ‘high vehicles move right’ arrow marking, and then dotted lines showing the route to follow. That should really be enough, but I’ve also seen different (possibly more emphatic) markings elsewhere consisting of solid lines matching the goal post position on the ground. Oncoming traffic also has a ‘caution - oncoming vehicles in middle of road’ sign.

 

[Nottingham59]

That should really be enough,

It really isn't enough.

I have every sympathy for that bus driver. It looks to me like he dutifully lined up the bus to go through the highest point of the arch on the approach side of the viaduct, and it has successfully passed under the arch for at least two metres before being caught out by the bridge being built on a skew, so that the clearance above the carriageway reduces as you proceed along the road.

If Streetview (Aug 2025) is anything to go by, a scuffed paint mark of the carriageway saying H*G* V*H* with a curved arrow and a warning board obscured by buddliea is not adequate signage for such a tricky obstacle for a bus driver unfamiliar with the area.

 

[nr758123]

I would assume this to be on Bridge Street/Bramston Road, which is the only rail-over-road bridge in Brighouse. It's actually part of Rastrick viaduct....but I never realised that it had a height restriction.

There's been a bridge strike in Brighouse, ironically courtesy of a Rail Replacement Bus. Looking at the location I suspect it would have been empty of passengers.

There's no good reason for any rail replacement bus to be using this underbridge. Any replacement buses between Brighouse and Huddersfield would logically use the A641 Huddersfield Road. On days when there are also replacement buses to Huddersfield via Deighton or to Halifax, there would still be no reason to go anywhere near this bridge.

 

[noddingdonkey]

My assumption is that the bus was out of service and was on that road to keep it out of the way

 

[speedy1]

I'm curious if any of the spec for the Huddersfield station work included consideration for hot weather? Or cold weather for that matter.

I know a station can't be an enclosed heated/cooled box but was just curious

 

[WAO]

Common sense natural architecture allows for shade from the sun, shelter from wind, rain and snow, fresh air and natural light. In railway terms you do this with platform canopies and perhaps a waiting room. A "bus" shelter provides little of this and is of low capacity; the opposite of a successful railway.

Judge the new TPU stations!

WAO

 

[Jamesrob637]

Why is no TP service going to Victoria today?

 

[dodecahedron67]

Why is no TP service going to Victoria today?

Miles Platting is shut for this week for work to build new turnback sidings at the top of the bank

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm curious if any of the spec for the Huddersfield station work included consideration for hot weather? Or cold weather for that matter.

I know a station can't be an enclosed heated/cooled box but was just curious

The main planning summary document for Huddersfield Station, (the design and access statement), only explicitly mentions wet weather protection, especially in the restoration of the ‘lantern’ at the top of the canopy, and in the design of the new roof over P4/5.

The pdf document is linked in post #7836

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

3 very detailed drone youtubes posted by "buried by time and dust"
Seems almost all workers are concentrated on Dewsbury and Batley with other sites being fairly quiet
1. Huddesfield station looks much tidier then of late and with lots of scaffold for the east end roof extension which may be next.
2, 3. Deighton repair looks ready for new bridge slab pouring. Leeds Road and Calder Road bridges look still have services divisions going on.
4. Dewsbury video not as upto date as Sarah's last post so couple of days out of date (No covering on footbridge).
K

Great video really see the scale of the works and how intrusive they are to some of the lineside neighbours though.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

The main planning summary document for Huddersfield Station, (the design and access statement), only explicitly mentions wet weather protection, especially in the restoration of the ‘lantern’ at the top of the canopy, and in the design of the new roof over P4/5.

The pdf document is linked in post #7836

And below is that post for convenience.

According to the application the plan is to restore the original lantern to an modified design, removed around nationalisation (probably to allow smoke to escape easier), along with strengthening works.

DOCUMENT NR15A: HUDDERSFIELD STATION DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT

The use of DB V200 locos is interesting

 

[YorksLad12]

The main planning summary document for Huddersfield Station, (the design and access statement), only explicitly mentions wet weather protection, especially in the restoration of the ‘lantern’ at the top of the canopy, and in the design of the new roof over P4/5.

The pdf document is linked in post #7836

Perhaps so, but as we've seen the last few week, canopies provide shelter from the sun as well. And you can fit solar panels on top of them... whereas most shelters turn into greenhouses, and the seats are too warm to sit on.

I'm a fan of canopies and covered walkways, and it's a shame money couldn't be found for them in this project. We could have had a TRU design across all of the small station rebuilds (seven, I think).

 

[josh-j]

At least the canopy isn't going to be transparent. Manchester Piccadilly was like a greenhouse last week on the concourse (especially upstairs).

 

[swt_passenger]

Perhaps so, but as we've seen the last few week, canopies provide shelter from the sun as well. And you can fit solar panels on top of them... whereas most shelters turn into greenhouses, and the seats are too warm to sit on.

I'm a fan of canopies and covered walkways, and it's a shame money couldn't be found for them in this project. We could have had a TRU design across all of the small station rebuilds (seven, I think).

I agree, but just pointing out you won’t find a reference in the Huddersfield plans to warm or hot weather.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Miles Platting is shut for this week for work to build new turnback sidings at the top of the bank

Thanks: I guess it makes more sense doing it in June than during the school holidays.

 

[Ploughman]

Do the neighbours at the main bridge sites get any form of compensation?

 

[xdbjacx]

Do the neighbours at the main bridge sites get any form of compensation?

For the disruption caused by the much needed infrastructure update works, or for the rather intrusive behaviour of amateur filmmakers flying drones up and down the line for hours on end filming the same bridge deck and parapets from every conceivable angle?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

For the disruption caused by the much needed infrastructure update works, or for the rather intrusive behaviour of amateur filmmakers flying drones up and down the line for hours on end filming the same bridge deck and parapets from every conceivable angle?

That is a very fair and insightful question!

 

[Geeves]

For the disruption caused by the much needed infrastructure update works, or for the rather intrusive behaviour of amateur filmmakers flying drones up and down the line for hours on end filming the same bridge deck and parapets from every conceivable angle?

I mean Network Rail have their own drone out so presumably that is intrusive too? Seems like a very random thing to be annoyed about. On the subject of drones On Track Tim on YouTube has been at the Manchester end this week.

Also the neighbours are Deighton were paid by Network Rail for alternative accommodation which isn't something you see often as far as I know

 

[bigbigcheese]

I mean Network Rail have their own drone out so presumably that is intrusive too? Seems like a very random thing to be annoyed about.

Wanting privacy in your own home is perfectly understandable. Usually a fence to stop the neighbours prying too much was fine up until the advent of low altitude overflying camera machines... Drones are also very annoying to listen to so when it happens probably multiple times a week I can see why people would be irritated by it.

 

[Paul AC]

So will TPE's 802s finally get to use the wires between Piccadilly, Guide Bridge and Stalybridge this week?

Yes and no. I caught a pair of class 802 workings between Stalybridge and Manchester Piccadilly and return earlier this week. They are visible in RTT (e.g. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...26-07-02/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt) as 5-car workings.

What seem to be happening to class 802 workings between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge, and vice versa, is that they pan up or pan down near the bridge over the River Tame about 1 km beyond Guide Bridge. They run in electric mode between there and Manchester Piccadilly. There is a suitable 'pan down' sign heading eastbound, I didn't see anything for westbound trains but I probably missed it.

There are a number of such trains daily at the moment to/from Piccadilly's terminal platforms, usually workings to/from Hull. Presumably a working to/from Liverpool via Chat Moss will run in AC mode 'throughout'.

So, about 1 km of the new wiring is being used, the rather longer remainder is not.


This did happen on a previous occasion (maybe for only one day) but I was away so couldn't sample it.

 

[neil65]

The concrete monolith on Bradford Road Huddersfield is now being covered in stone, just passed it and the first 2 rows have been fixed

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Yes and no. I caught a pair of class 802 workings between Stalybridge and Manchester Piccadilly and return earlier this week. They are visible in RTT (e.g. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...26-07-02/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt) as 5-car workings.

What seem to be happening to class 802 workings between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge, and vice versa, is that they pan up or pan down near the bridge over the River Tame about 1 km beyond Guide Bridge. They run in electric mode between there and Manchester Piccadilly. There is a suitable 'pan down' sign heading eastbound, I didn't see anything for westbound trains but I probably missed it.

There are a number of such trains daily at the moment to/from Piccadilly's terminal platforms, usually workings to/from Hull. Presumably a working to/from Liverpool via Chat Moss will run in AC mode 'throughout'.

So, about 1 km of the new wiring is being used, the rather longer remainder is not.
This did happen on a previous occasion (maybe for only one day) but I was away so couldn't sample it.

That's great.
I've never quite understood whether TPE through trains can work electrically to/from the platforms at Stalybridge, switching over in the station.
The Liverpool-Newcastle services don't stop at Stalybridge anyway, so have to use the fairly distant switchover points on the approaches.
But Northern EMUs do work into bay platform 5 at Stalybridge.

 

[zwk500]

That's great.
I've never quite understood whether TPE through trains can work electrically to/from the platforms at Stalybridge, switching over in the station.
The Liverpool-Newcastle services don't stop at Stalybridge anyway, so have to use the fairly distant switchover points on the approaches.
But Northern EMUs do work into bay platform 5 at Stalybridge.

I can think of 3 reasons:
1. Driver workload when travelling through a station and over a junction. It's cleaner to move the power change to an area where drivers aren't thinking about too many things at once.
2. The curvature and speed of through trains through the station increased the risk of a dewirement during a dynamic power change too high, especially if it brought wires down on a platform
3. A dynamic change required additional tensioning/strengthened OLE structures for the additional force/vibrations on the contact wire that it was impractical to provide in such close proximity to the junction.

The loss of a few hundred yards of OLE is a relatively minor sacrifice to move the dynamic changeover to a straighter, simpler section of track. If trains have come to a stand, then the driver can set the DRA, change the pan, then focus on the despatch and departure procedures as separate tasks.

But these are only guesses, I don't know for sure.

 

[jfollows]

Yes and no. I caught a pair of class 802 workings between Stalybridge and Manchester Piccadilly and return earlier this week. They are visible in RTT (e.g. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...26-07-02/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt) as 5-car workings.

What seem to be happening to class 802 workings between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge, and vice versa, is that they pan up or pan down near the bridge over the River Tame about 1 km beyond Guide Bridge. They run in electric mode between there and Manchester Piccadilly. There is a suitable 'pan down' sign heading eastbound, I didn't see anything for westbound trains but I probably missed it.

There are a number of such trains daily at the moment to/from Piccadilly's terminal platforms, usually workings to/from Hull. Presumably a working to/from Liverpool via Chat Moss will run in AC mode 'throughout'.

So, about 1 km of the new wiring is being used, the rather longer remainder is not.


This did happen on a previous occasion (maybe for only one day) but I was away so couldn't sample it.

Isn’t this because of the location of the APCO, Automatic Power Changeover balise, shown in the Sectional Appendix (https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sectional-appendix/Sectional Appendix full PDFs June 26/London North Western (North) Sectional Appendix June 2026.pdf) as 38 chains beyond Guide Bridge West Junction, about 10 chains before the Tame Viaduct in the down direction? 23 chains further for the up equivalent.

 

[superkev]

Re Miles Platting turnback and fast lines electrification closures.
Not sure this should be on the TPU thread.
Latest YouTube from 'On track with Tim' shows teams working on the Fast (Rochdale) lines signaling gantries and a long section of track removed presumably for the points to the Turnback siding.
I also note the siding is shown dotted on the last 2021? edition of Track Maps.
Although many of the electrification Gantries span all 4 tracks it looks like more will be required.
K

 

[Zomboid]

Worth pointing out that even if those wires don't currently have pantographs running along them, they are "in use" as they will be carrying current to sections where pans are in contact. And obviously in due course there will be electric trains running that way (the Piccadilly to Hull semi fast Bi-modes and the Huddersfield stopping EMUs if I remember the proposed service pattern right)

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Worth pointing out that even if those wires don't currently have pantographs running along them, they are "in use" as they will be carrying current to sections where pans are in contact. And obviously in due course there will be electric trains running that way (the Piccadilly to Hull semi fast Bi-modes and the Huddersfield stopping EMUs if I remember the proposed service pattern right)

Do we know if Heyrod ATFS actually connects to the OLE at Stalybridge? I was assuming that the whole of central Manchester was fed from Ordsall Lane.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Do we know if Heyrod ATFS actually connects to the OLE at Stalybridge? I was assuming that the whole of central Manchester was fed from Ordsall Lane.

Indirectly even if from the great extension lead yes.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Indirectly even if from the great extension lead yes.

Indeed the independent feeder pokes out above ground at Ordsall Lane substation (very strategically located by how many lines fan away from that small area). But my query is whether Heyrod now directly connects to OLE at the Stalybridge end (by way of additional shorter cables) as well as the by way of Ordsall Lane. But perhaps this will only come about when wiring goes further than Stalybridge.