The Government has announced a £48 million investment to improve the rundown Penistone Line between Huddersfield and Sheffield.

The money is part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and comes from cash diverted from the scrapping of the HS2 high-speed rail link to Manchester.

The investment has been secured thanks to the campaigning efforts of local MPs Mark Eastwood and Jason McCartney.

The project will be the first phase of a programme of track and station upgrades, leading to significant improvements in the performance and reliability of services on the line.

The Penistone Line, which runs through Lockwood, Berry Brow, Honley, Brockholes, Shepley, Stocksmoor and Denby Dale, has just one train an hour.

Dewsbury Conservative MP Mr Eastwood, whose constituency includes Denby Dale, Stocksmoor and Shepley, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve succeeded in securing the funding to start upgrading the Penistone Line.

“It’s a lifeline for people in Denby Dale, Stocksmoor and Shepley and I’ve been determined to deliver this investment that local people have been telling me is their top transport priority.”

Colne Valley Conservative MP Mr McCartney said: “With much needed improvements to the stations at Honley and Brockholes in my constituency, this multi-million pound upgrade to the Penistone Line will really help to level up my local communities.”

A Levelling Up bid for the Penistone Line was first submitted to the Government by Kirklees Council in 2021, backed by Mr Eastwood.