An award-winning animation director has helped create a video to promote the £1.5 billion TransPennine Route Upgrade which will transform the local rail network.

Tom O’Meara, who is known for animation works including ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Isle of Dogs’, directed the animation as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade’s ‘On track to Better’ marketing campaign.

The campaign highlights the major, multi-billion-pound programme of improvements which will transform the railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, bringing passengers more frequent, faster, greener trains, running on a better, cleaner and more reliable railway.

Huddersfield Railway Station will undergo an internal modernisation and the rail line between Huddersfield and Westtown just outside Dewsbury will be increased from two tracks to four.

Rail operators say the improvements will support economic growth in the North and deliver real benefits for passengers, communities and freight services.

Daniel Bolton, TransPennine Route Upgrade senior marketing manager, said: “The new TRU ‘On Track to Better’ campaign is the result of a fantastic collaborative effort across the industry and is designed to raise awareness of the major railway improvements that will take place in a way in which customers can relate to.

“Faster commutes will see longer bedtime stories for parents, a more frequent service will make city visits a more frequent day out and a fully electrified line will mean cleaner air for the people of the North, and these are just some of the large-scale improvements customers will benefit from.”

Neil Holm, TRU director, said: “The ‘On Track to Better’ campaign will help to raise the profile of our multi-billion-pound improvement programme, and I hope it will get people excited for the transformational benefits in store for passengers in the North.

“We’ve made a huge amount of progress already, with major work already underway to electrify both ends of the route.

“We’ll eventually deliver a fully electrified line to bring faster, more frequent trains running on a cleaner, greener railway between Manchester and York.”

The animation can be viewed HERE.

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