Leeds trains: Network Rail issue disruption update as buses continue to replace trains on Morley line

Customers are being reminded to check before they travel as the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) team reach the halfway mark in their delivery of rail upgrades between Dewsbury and Leeds.

The work is part of the multi-billion-pound railway programme that will better connect towns and cities across the North, including Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Work began on Monday, October 21 and has progressed well over the past three weeks - 67 overhead line equipment (OLE) foundations have been installed with OLE mast installation to follow, which will enable the full electrification of the railway, powering greener trains through the area and beyond.

Jonathan Hepton, Sponsor for the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We’re really pleased with the progress we’ve made so far in completing these vital upgrades.

“Weekday work continues until Friday, November 22, where we’ll have made a big step towards the programme’s wider plans to deliver faster, more frequent trains on a cleaner, more reliable railway.”

Other upgrades include 1662m of track renewals, 250m of drainage work and 900m of cabling removed, which will allow for faster, more reliable services.

Customers have been kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement bus services from Mondays to Fridays, with weekend services unaffected. Midweek works will continue until Friday, November 22.

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Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, added: “It is great to see the amount of work that’s being done to upgrade the railway here in the North. The work between Morley and Leeds will pave the way for the future electrification of a key piece of the route, while the new track and drainage renewal works will improve the reliability for years to come.”

In the remaining two weeks of the works, TransPennine Express won’t be able to run trains on the line through Dewsbury and Morley. As a result trains between Huddersfield and Leeds via Wakefield Kirkgate will be diverted, increasing journey times.

Rail replacement services will connect Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, and all local stations in between.