Huddersfield Station is to close for 30 days, which could cause problems for up to 300,000 travellers. The station, linked to major cities, will undergo a £70 million revamp
A busy train station that welcomes nearly 10,000 passengers per day is set to close its doors for an entire month due to a multi-million revamp – sparking 30 days of travel disruption for thousands of commuters.
Huddersfield station, located in West Yorkshire, is known for its strong connections to major cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. The vital North TransPennine route also links people to Leeds, York, Hull, Newcastle and even Edinburgh.
Network Rail confirmed that the closure will come into effect from August 30 to September 29. Construction work is going to be carried out as part of a £70 million revamp. It is believed that around 300,000 travellers will be affected.
It is to allow for essential works to be carried out as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Upgrade work at the station began more than a year ago, and this stage of the programme will be the most significant.
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There will be track and platform remodelling to transform the layout of the station, allowing more trains with more seats to run through the town on a “greener, more reliable railway”. These upgrades will also allow for future infrastructure improvements, reports Yorkshire Live.
This includes the installation of a new footbridge and the restoration of the Grade II listed tearooms. These tearooms were dismantled last year so they can be repainted and relocated to a new location on the platform.
The station roof canopy will also be restored, with scaffolding and coverings in one section to be removed in the coming weeks. This roof is one of the few remaining ‘Euston style’ roofs, and its restoration has been carefully planned so the historic features can be maintained, with the durability enhanced.
Gareth Hope, TRU Sponsor, said: “Our upgrade of Huddersfield station is one of the most important projects across the entire TRU programme, and this 30-day closure will allow us to take a giant leap towards giving the station a deserved makeover without harming its heritage.
“Ultimately, the work in Huddersfield is key to improving the journeys of millions of people across the North – increasing the number of tracks through the station and remodelling its platforms means we will be able to run faster, more frequent trains with enhanced capacity in the future.
“We’re pleased with the recent programme milestones in Huddersfield and are excited for these to progress further in the summer.”
No trains will run through the station during the closure, and diversionary routes along with rail replacement bus services will be in operation. After the closure, there will only be three platforms in operation on a temporary basis.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects and TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said: “The 30-day closure is a milestone in the history of Huddersfield railway station that will pave the way for the future benefits of the TRU programme to be unlocked and I’d like to thank everyone who’s working hard in the background to turn this into a major success.
“During the closure, TPE won’t be able to run trains through the station for 30 days, with Brighouse functioning as the gateway to Huddersfield in those weeks. We’ll have more information on how our customers can travel across the Pennines in June, but for now, we encourage you to put these dates in your diaries.”