A Giant rebuild: halfway point reached in Huddersfield station 30-day closure

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has this week welcomed Huddersfield Giants to the town’s station to celebrate the progress being made in the programme’s major upgrade work.

Representatives from the Super League outfit gifted the TRU team a signed ball at the station, where engineers have been working around the clock as part of a 30-day closure, undertaking work that will deliver faster trains with more seats for customers across the North.

Former Rugby League player and current Commercial Manager at Huddersfield Giants, Brian Blacker, was joined by two young Giants talents in Jack Billington and Connor Carr. Brian said:

“It was fantastic to see first-hand the strides being taken in what they’re delivering in our town. Rugby League fans will be able to rely on better services and we’re delighted to have presented their hard-working teams with a signed ball.”

The first two weeks of the 30-day closure have seen significant work carried out on John William Street bridge, with two new bridge decks now installed as part of strengthening upgrades to Huddersfield viaduct which will allow for additional tracks and overhead line equipment (OLE) installation in the future.

Inside the station, platforms 1 & 2 have been demolished as part of the platform and track remodelling works which will see them lengthened, enabling longer trains with more seats to stop at the station.

Paul Sumner, TRU senior sponsor, said:

“It’s been a really positive first half of the 30-day closure, with major works that have been planned for years now coming to life. These works take us a step closer to Huddersfield station serving as a vital hub for a new era of rail travel across the Pennines.

“We’d like to extend our gratitude to local businesses, residents and customers as we undertake these vital upgrades, and thank our neighbours Huddersfield Giants for their support.”

During the closure, customers have been kept on the move via diversionary routes and rail replacement bus services thanks to close collaboration between Network Rail, Northern and TransPennine Express as part of the TRU Enterprise.

TRU has invested £100m in diversionary routes across the programme footprint to improve their resilience for when the main line is closed. The investment has unlocked an increase in hourly services on the Calder Valley route – a key diversion for this closure – from two to three.

Brighouse has been transformed into a Rail-Bus interchange where Customer Delivery Managers have been supporting people on their journeys.