An electric train has travelled for the first time between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge, as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
Engineers have been testing the new electrification equipment installed along the route as part of the multi-billion-pound upgrade to the line between Manchester and York, via Huddersfield and Leeds.
The successful test train run follows work completed by TRU last year, which included the installation of overhead line electrification (OLE) between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and Guide Bridge stations, the replacement of track to allow faster speeds, 25 new signals for closer spacing of trains and a higher-speed railway junction at Stalybridge. Many of these key upgrades were completed as engineers worked around the clock during a 26-day closure in March and April last year.
Electric trains are set to run between Manchester and Stalybridge from the end of the year, bringing greener, faster and more reliable journeys to the route.
This will be the first section of line to be electrified as part of the Tranpennine Route Upgrade, with the remainder of the route between Manchester and York set to be electrified in the future.
TRU is also delivering station improvements along the route to enhance customer experience, comfort and accessibility, whilst a new digital signalling system to improve the reliability of the line will be installed.
Upgrades also include doubling the number of tracks between Huddersfield and Dewsbury to allow for greater capacity, meaning more seats for passengers and opportunities for increased freight.
“This is a big achievement in our plans to bring cleaner, faster and better travel to the people of the North of England. People can see that TRU is very much in the delivery phase now and the benefits of all our teams’ hard work is starting to show,” Neil Holm, Managing Director of TRU said.
Network Rail is transforming journeys across the North, better connecting towns and cities through more frequent, faster, greener trains, running on a better, cleaner and more reliable railway. TRU will bring passengers more trains to choose from and more seats. The improvements will enable more trains to run between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York with up to six fast services every hour between Leeds and Manchester and up to two stopping services for local connectivity.
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