Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

[YorkshireBear]

The former with a bit of the latter!

Great because I changed the trains there yesterday and it is a disgrace!

 

[pdq]

White Rose railway station: Building work on a new railway station halted after 'unforeseen increase in costs'​

This was in the Yorkshire Post online on 19th March. It's been mentioned in another thread about new stations, but it seems pertinent here as well.

Workers at the White Rose railway station project on Elland Road, south of Leeds downed tools last week, while a timescale on work re-commencing remains unknown.

A joint statement to The Yorkshire Post on behalf of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Network Rail, developers Munroe K and principal contractors Spencer Group, describes “a temporary pause” in construction of the new station, but provides no indication of how long the pause may last.

“This decision comes in light of an unforeseen increase in project costs, prompting a thorough evaluation of future funding sources to ensure the project's successful completion,” they said late yesterday.

The £26.5m project broke ground in March 2022 and was due to see the new rail station open for passengers in early 2024. However, previous delays had already moved the expected opening date back to the end of this year.

David Aspin, CEO and owner of Munroe K told The Yorkshire Post, “it’s a pause to recalibrate.”

Private funding for the new station has come from Munroe K, who own the adjacent White Rose Park business park. Meanwhile public sector investment comes from the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, a capital grant from central government to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme, which represents £173.5m from the Department for Transport (DfT) over a period of six years, and an additional £5m from the DfT’s New Stations Fund.

The stakeholders say in their statement that they, “remain committed to finding a speedy solution to the present difficulties encountered and continue the progression of this critical infrastructure project.

“The White Rose Railway Station will not be just a transport hub; it is envisioned as a catalyst for regeneration, promising to unlock new education and employment opportunities, foster economic growth, and enhance connectivity within South Leeds and beyond.

“Recognising the importance of this project to the local community and economy, all parties involved have agreed that taking the time to reassess financial strategies is a prudent step forward. This pause will allow for a comprehensive review of funding options to ensure the project is delivered on the most sustainable and cost-effective basis possible.

“The project team is dedicated to minimising any delays, with the goal of resuming construction as swiftly as feasible,” the statement says.

Mr Aspin added: “We understand the disappointment this news may bring, especially given the anticipation for the station's opening. However, we firmly believe that taking this step now is in the best interest of ensuring the project's long-term success and sustainability.

“Our focus remains on delivering a state-of-the-art railway station that will serve as a cornerstone for economic development in South Leeds."

If completed, construction of the new rail station is hoped to improve access to White Rose Park, as well as to the White Rose Shopping Centre and Millshaw Industrial Estate. Nearby Cottingley station, less than half a mile away, is planned to close once the new station is operational.

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesperson said: “We are investing £22 million into White Rose Rail Station.

“This scheme is a major priority for West Yorkshire. We are committed to working with partners to see it open as soon as possible.”

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

When is stalybridge likely to see it's first electric train, now that the wires have been tested?

The route via Guide Bridge has not been completed/tested yet.
Ideally you'd want both to be available at the same time.

 

[jonesy3001]

The route via Guide Bridge has not been completed/tested yet.
Ideally you'd want both to be available at the same time.

I would have thought they would have tested both lines last week, unless they're doing it before the December timetable change, so the 802s can use the overheads.

I'm sure I read somewhere either on here or on other forums, June for northern, December for TPE.


Found it:

attachment.pdf

www.whatdotheyknow.com

In response to your questions related to the commencement of electric services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and Guide Bridge and Stalybridge, we can confirm that this is currently planned to take place from December 2024.

This will also include Automatic Power Change Over (APCO) from that time, but please be aware that this will only initially apply to TransPennine Express services.

Where you’ve asked for the go live dates for the overhead live wires between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and Guide Bridge and Stalybridge, while we do hold this information it is our view that it should be withheld from disclosure under regulation 12(5)(a) of the EIR (public safety).

I will explain this exception and why itapplies in the remainder of this response letter.

 

[1D53]

Sure I read somewhere either on here or on other forums, june for northern, december for tpe.

Correct.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

White Rose railway station: Building work on a new railway station halted after 'unforeseen increase in costs'​

This was in the Yorkshire Post online on 19th March. It's been mentioned in another thread about new stations, but it seems pertinent here as well.

Utter shambles from a project management point of view. This bit of PR fluff particularly irked me:

The White Rose Railway Station will not be just a transport hub; it is envisioned as a catalyst for regeneration, promising to unlock new education and employment opportunities, foster economic growth, and enhance connectivity within South Leeds and beyond.

"Not just a transport hub", really? There was me under the impression that a large chunk of public funds were bring spent on a railway station.

A little further down the article there's also a reference to "if" the project is completed rather than "when". This could be a sign of greater issues, or just poor editing on the part of the Yorkshire Post... probably both.

 

[aliceh]

If I don my cynic hat for a moment, I do have to wonder how much it would have cost them to make Cottingley step free and spruce up the paths to the station. But then again, they had to move the station away from the residential areas to get that sweet business park investment money...

 

[Bantamzen]

Utter shambles from a project management point of view. This bit of PR fluff particularly irked me:

"Not just a transport hub", really? There was me under the impression that a large chunk of public funds were bring spent on a railway station.

A little further down the article there's also a reference to "if" the project is completed rather than "when". This could be a sign of greater issues, or just poor editing on the part of the Yorkshire Post... probably both.

Why do I get the unnerving feeling this won't be the only "pause" on various projects around TRU? Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I can see more of this in the future. Well that is until we get NPR....

 

[1D53]

Why do I get the unnerving feeling this won't be the only "pause" on various projects around TRU? Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I can see more of this in the future. Well that is until we get NPR....

White Rose is nothing to do with TRU, just coincidence it's on TRU geography.

 

[Bantamzen]

White Rose is nothing to do with TRU, just coincidence it's on TRU geography.

Ah ok, allow me to rephrase that:

Why do I get the unnerving feeling this won't be the only "pause" on various projects elsewhere like TRU? Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I can see more of this in the future. Well that is until we get NPR....

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Ah ok, allow me to rephrase that:

Why do I get the unnerving feeling this won't be the only "pause" on various projects elsewhere like TRU?

I don't think you are the only one getting concerned. I get that same feeling. I hope I am wrong.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Ah ok, allow me to rephrase that:

Why do I get the unnerving feeling this won't be the only "pause" on various projects elsewhere like TRU? Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I can see more of this in the future. Well that is until we get NPR....

If it's any comfort, the only input our famously competent West Yorkshire councils have on most of TRU is to rubber-stamp the planning applications. Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that the issues with White Rose and the fact that it's a project with a lot of Leeds City Council involvement, are linked.

Just be glad that Huddersfield station is so heavily protected that Kirklees Council can't do their usual trick of cladding it in cheap plastic and calling it a "Modern Sustainable Transportation Hub"; waiting three years; then quietly locking it up for good.

 

[snowball]

Press release

Passengers urged to check before they travel with 10 days of major rail upgrades around Huddersfield ahead

Rail services through the Huddersfield station area will be affected as engineering works are carried out from Friday 29 March to Sunday 7 April, with passengers kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement buses.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Rail services through the Huddersfield station area will be affected as engineering works are carried out from Friday 29 March to Sunday 7 April, with passengers kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement buses.

The work is part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) railway programme that will transform journeys across the North of England, bringing customers more frequent and faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

These key upgrades include the start of roof canopy work at Huddersfield station, mining remediation work in Ravensthorpe and Huddersfield, the installation of a new bridge deck on Huddersfield viaduct (over the A641 Bradford Road) and track renewals in the Deighton and Mirfield area.

Huddersfield station’s status as a Grade I listed building means that great care is being taken in preserving the rich heritage of the site. The TRU team will prepare for the restoration of the iconic roof – one of the few remaining ‘Euston roof’ examples still on the railway today – so that the station gets a deserved makeover without harming its cultural importance.

This will be carried out alongside the ongoing works on the station’s tearooms, which will be dismantled and rebuilt in an altered location using the same materials once other work has been completed.

 

[Bantamzen]

If it's any comfort, the only input our famously competent West Yorkshire councils have on most of TRU is to rubber-stamp the planning applications. Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that the issues with White Rose and the fact that it's a project with a lot of Leeds City Council involvement, are linked.

Just be glad that Huddersfield station is so heavily protected that Kirklees Council can't do their usual trick of cladding it in cheap plastic and calling it a "Modern Sustainable Transportation Hub"; waiting three years; then quietly locking it up for good.

I'm even more glad that Bradford Council have no involvement in TRU at all. After all they managed to pick a site for Bradford's hypothetical NPR station on a site halfway up the hill from the city centre, & on a site not even on the existing Bradford-Leeds alignment (St James Market). Meanwhile the bus station is falling apart & plans for tarting up Forster Square seem to have got lost in the post....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'm even more glad that Bradford Council have no involvement in TRU at all. After all they managed to pick a site for Bradford's hypothetical NPR station on a site halfway up the hill from the city centre, & on a site not even on the existing Bradford-Leeds alignment (St James Market). Meanwhile the bus station is falling apart & plans for tarting up Forster Square seem to have got lost in the post....

As none of the route passes through Bradford Council territory, I certainly am glad that they aren't involved! ...though I wouldn't put it past them to stick their oar in anyway!

 

[fishwomp]

If it's any comfort, the only input our famously competent West Yorkshire councils have on most of TRU is to rubber-stamp the planning applications. Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that the issues with White Rose and the fact that it's a project with a lot of Leeds City Council involvement, are linked.

Just be glad that Huddersfield station is so heavily protected that Kirklees Council can't do their usual trick of cladding it in cheap plastic and calling it a "Modern Sustainable Transportation Hub"; waiting three years; then quietly locking it up for good.

Well.. TRU seem to have got away with adding all the charm of Reading station to Huddersfield with the new "futuristic" architecture on the new roof, bridge and platforms.

 

[SuperNova]

Well.. TRU seem to have got away with adding all the charm of Reading station to Huddersfield with the new "futuristic" architecture on the new roof, bridge and platforms.

It’s been through heritage England…

 

[fishwomp]

It’s been through heritage England…

They're based in GWR's Swindon works, may not recognize the superiority of the joint L&Y and LNWR architecture

 

[WAO]

The route via Guide Bridge has not been completed/tested yet.
Ideally you'd want both to be available at the same time.

....and the inspection and detailed testing both statically and under load has to satisfy the various stakeholders before being presented to ORR for signing off/approval to use. That's when ORR does earn its money. Previously, IIRC, ORR has been quite prompt about this, if all's well.

After that, we may expect EMU's as they and staff are available to be slipped into the existing timetable, so that the succeeding electric timetable has the best chance of working.

Patience.

WAO

 

[Geeves]

In regards to the Guide Bridge wires they are complete but as said above no testing so far. Strangely the swap to electric on the Ashton line should be easy seeing as the 769s are already running under them just on diesel of course. No training, testing or ecs runs required.

 

[superkev]

Bit on easter works at Huddersfield see https://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/...jyuPLdhVCySsMv8BKeVAS7fdfXUtgMDjwDIS4cxp5OJ44

 

[B Box]

Re the ‘pause’ at White Rose. It’s only a couple of weeks ago that WYCA announced a tramline to the White Rose Centre (the one from St James’s Hospital via Leeds City Centre and Elland Road).

So maybe this needs factoring in to the White Rose plan, either to integrate with the White Rose Rail Station or even to replace it altogether.

Two new stations on the Manchester – York line (White Rose and Thorpe Park) won’t exactly speed up the line for the fast trains, unless four tracking is installed, something which is easier to introduce to the east of Leeds (ie Thorpe Park) than to the west (White Rose).

So, maybe a review is taking place.

 

[takno]

Re the ‘pause’ at White Rose. It’s only a couple of weeks ago that WYCA announced a tramline to the White Rose Centre (the one from St James’s Hospital via Leeds City Centre and Elland Road).

So maybe this needs factoring in to the White Rose plan, either to integrate with the White Rose Rail Station or even to replace it altogether.

Two new stations on the Manchester – York line (White Rose and Thorpe Park) won’t exactly speed up the line for the fast trains, unless four tracking is installed, something which is easier to introduce to the east of Leeds (ie Thorpe Park) than to the west (White Rose).

So, maybe a review is taking place.

White Rose is a replacement station rather than a new one, so it shouldn't significantly affect performance. Moreover It seems unreasonable to pause a half-built station in order to consider the implications of a tram which probably won't ever get built anyway. The most likely reason for the pause is that either the developer or the government hasn't budgeted for inflation and is now unwilling or unable to pay the rising costs.

 

[zwk500]

Re the ‘pause’ at White Rose. It’s only a couple of weeks ago that WYCA announced a tramline to the White Rose Centre (the one from St James’s Hospital via Leeds City Centre and Elland Road).

So maybe this needs factoring in to the White Rose plan, either to integrate with the White Rose Rail Station or even to replace it altogether.

Two new stations on the Manchester – York line (White Rose and Thorpe Park) won’t exactly speed up the line for the fast trains, unless four tracking is installed, something which is easier to introduce to the east of Leeds (ie Thorpe Park) than to the west (White Rose).

So, maybe a review is taking place.

White Rose is under construction, so any tram will need to consider impact on White Rose, not the other way round. (slightly silly but that's the way projects are assessed).

Simply put we're coming up to an election the government is almost certain to lose and so the government is reluctant to throw money at projects that will have the ribbon cutting hosted by the other side.

 

[matacaster]

I understand that the 'bridge deck' just to east of Huddersfield station is being replaced over next week or so. Is this the wide one near the George hotel with around 3 separate decks? Will all the separate decks be replaced, avoiding the awkward angle which constrains the east end of the station?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

White Rose is under construction, so any tram will need to consider impact on White Rose, not the other way round. (slightly silly but that's the way projects are assessed).

Simply put we're coming up to an election the government is almost certain to lose and so the government is reluctant to throw money at projects that will have the ribbon cutting hosted by the other side.

If the present government frequented this site, they'd no doubt be eager to make sure that White Elephant station opened on the watch of the other lot!

 

[snowball]

Press release

Ravensthorpe Road to be temporarily closed while next phase of Transpennine Route Upgrade work commences

Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) are reminding road users to plan their journey ahead of time, as Ravensthorpe Road closes for a 10-week period.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) are reminding road users to plan their journey ahead of time, as Ravensthorpe Road closes for a 10-week period.

From Monday 8 April 2024, Ravensthorpe Road will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic while major upgrades take place, bringing passengers one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Over the 10-week period, Yorkshire Water, on behalf of TRU, will finalise their connections to an existing water main beneath the road, allowing a new road layout and bridge to be constructed in the future. To reduce the impact on the community and reduce the need for additional closures, Northern Power Grid will also complete work involving the connection of high voltage cables.

The closure, which will extend from Veolia Dewsbury Service Centre to 153 Ravensthorpe Road, will allow for the next stage of these key upgrades. Access to Veolia will be maintained throughout this period and pedestrian access past the worksite will be available via the public footpath.

Additionally, from Tuesday 2 April, a range of work will also take place along Fall Lane.

Strong progress has already been made in Ravensthorpe with the site being cleared, while archaeology and historic mining mitigation work have also been completed.

To raise awareness of the closure and to allow the local community to plan their journey ahead of time, warning signage will be in place from Friday 29 March 2024. Additionally, signposted diversion routes will be established along the route with clear directions of the best route to take.

Work has been carefully planned to take place at times that have the least amount of impact on local residents. This means that staff will be on site on the following days and times, with an additional 30 minutes before and after each shift to complete preparation and clear up work:

· Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 18:00

· Saturday: 08:00 to 13:00

· There will be no work taking place on Sundays.

 

[Phillipimo]

Drone flight over the construction work happening around Ravensthorpe.

 

[Trainman40083]

Sorry if I missed it. But has the Guide Bridge to Stalybridge line been electrified as part of this scheme? Been a very long time since I was there (in fact the whole TPE fleet was 185s at the time).

 

[snowball]

Sorry if I missed it. But has the Guide Bridge to Stalybridge line been electrified as part of this scheme? Been a very long time since I was there (in fact the whole TPE fleet was 185s at the time).

See post #7700, nine up from yours. The wires appear to be complete but last week's electric test train didn't do Guide Bridge for some reason.