[Press release from Network Rail, 28th<\/sup> January 2021, follows]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key rail infrastructure in the North\nof England will be upgraded this summer to support the delivery of the\nTranspennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The work forms part of TRU\u2019s wider\ngoal to deliver sought-after improvements along the full 76-mile Transpennine\nroute – stretching from York to Manchester, via Leeds and Huddersfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It will take place east of Manchester\nVictoria station, closing the lines towards Stalybridge and Rochdale, with a\n16-day railway closure between these destinations from the 31 July to 16 August\n2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the 16-day closure hundreds of\nrailway workers will be working day and night to renew key sections of track,\nincluding around Miles Platting, and upgrading railway bridges to improve\nreliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This important work is the first step\nto enable wider improvements that are expected to bring much needed benefits to\npassengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The planned closure means that from\n31 July there will be no trains between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and\nManchester Victoria and Rochdale until these lines reopen on 16 August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, travel between these destinations\nwill still be possible, either by train diversion or alternative transport such\nas buses to keep passengers moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, passengers travelling\nbetween Bradford and Manchester on the Calder Valley line will need to transfer\nonto a bus for the portion of the journey between Rochdale and Manchester\nVictoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phil James, Network Rail\u2019s North West route director, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Transpennine Route Upgrade is a transformative, long-term project supporting economic growth in the North at a vital time and delivering real benefits for passengers and communities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cA project of this size and scale means there will be times when we have to close the railway – and the 16-day closure this summer in Greater Manchester signifies one of these moments. However, working alongside train operators, we are committed to keeping passengers on a train as often as we possibly can, moving on time and in comfort. We are confident that the long-term legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Neil Holm, Network Rail\u2019s Director for the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Transpennine Route Upgrade is a transformative, long-term project supporting economic growth in the North at a vital time and delivering real benefits for passengers and communities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cA project of this size and scale means there will be times when we have to close the railway – and the 16-day closure this summer in Greater Manchester signifies one of these moments. However, working alongside train operators, we are committed to keeping passengers on a train as often as we possibly can, moving on time and in comfort. We are confident that the long-term legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Despite the 16-day closure, direct\ntrain travel between Manchester and Leeds will still be possible but with\ntrains departing\/arriving via Manchester Piccadilly instead of Manchester\nVictoria station. Passengers wishing to travel between Yorkshire to Manchester\nAirport\/Liverpool will be able to do so but with a change of trains at\nManchester Piccadilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rob Warnes, strategic development director at Northern, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is important work that absolutely needs to be done. Improving the track and infrastructure will mean more reliable journeys and in time more capacity and faster travel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do recognise, however, that the closure of the line will mean customers will have a different travel experience and we want to provide as much notice of the changes as possible. During the 16-day closure journey times will be increased and buses will replace trains between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale affecting wider journeys between Bradford and Manchester.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are working up the full details of what these changes will mean and will provide more information to customers in the coming months.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson MP, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Transpennine Upgrade is at the heart of our commitment to improve rail journeys for passengers across the North, focused on significantly improving reliability and punctuality. \u00a0As we build back better from Covid-19, boosting capacity and journey times, we will work with local partners to keep disruption throughout these vital upgrades to a minimum.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis rail route forms a vital link across the North, connecting cities and ports and supporting the regional and national economy. Leaders from across the North have been calling for improved connectivity for many years through High Speed Rail, Northern Powerhouse Rail and improved Transpennine connections. We welcome this work which should be seen as just the start of a transformational investment in rail across the North, supporting the Government\u2019s levelling up agenda and ensuring we build back better from the pandemic. We will be working closely with both Network Rail and the train and freight operators to ensure, as this vital work progresses, passengers, business and communities are properly provided for and disruption is minimised wherever possible.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Kathryn O\u2019Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese works will affect some of our customers travelling through Manchester and we\u2019d like to assure them that we have plans that will keep their disruption down to an absolute minimum.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Additional railway upgrade work\nbetween Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is being planned for several\nweekends and bank holidays from late August through to early 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n *Full details and the impact on\ntravel services will be released soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk\/news\/major-step-forward-for-rail-in-the-north<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMajor step forward for rail between Greater Manchester and Yorkshire\u201d [Press release from Network Rail, 28th January 2021, follows] Rail improvements announced for Greater Manchester as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) boost to Northern economy Improvements require 16-day … Continue reading