The £11.5 billion TransPennine Route Upgrade rail electrification project has seen strong progress through 2025 – and the countdown is on to the completion of the new Huddersfield Railway Station in early 2027.
The TRU scheme aims to deliver faster, greener and more reliable rail services between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York by the mid-to-late 2030s, involving electrification, new track, digital signalling and station upgrades.
Across the 70 miles, significant headway has been made with the roll-out of electrical overhead lines, supporting greener, cleaner rail travel and helping to modernise services for the long term.
In August, the TRU team celebrated a key milestone as 25% of the route was electrified between York and Church Fenton, joining Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge as electrified sections.
Huddersfield remained a key area for the programme in 2025, one of the major undertakings being the 30-day station closure in September.
Working around the clock, engineers installed new bridge beams across Span 1 of Huddersfield viaduct, reconfigured platforms and completed vital track and signalling upgrades, all of which will improve reliability and prepare the station for longer trains in the future.
Huddersfield also saw the opening of a train maintenance centre at Hillhouse depot in October, a new £46 million facility built to keep trains running across Yorkshire.
There’s also a dedicated safety training centre in Huddersfield – called the TRUST Centre – on the Ringway Industrial Estate in Beck Road where more than 10,000 people have been trained.
Work started on a major internal re-design of Huddersfield Railway Station in late 2023. The £70 million scheme to modernise and restore the grade I-listed station is due for completion in early 2027.
Huddersfield Railway Station when it re-opened in September 2025. Image by: Sean Doyle
TRU work has continued over the Christmas and New Year period with work nearing completion in and around the new Mirfield Railway Station.
There was also continuing restoration works on the Huddersfield Station roof canopy and a start on the demolition of Whitacre Street overbridge in Deighton.
James Richardson, managing director for the TRU, said: “This year has produced so many achievements and what we’re doing across the programme will not just improve journey times and reliability, but better connect towns and cities across the North.
“TRU is a key enabler to unlock potential in our communities and support regional economic growth, and we are looking forward to another successful year in 2026.”
Celebrating the Huddersfield people recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours List 2026
