Network Rail will be carrying out the vital upgrade work on the busy Transpennine Route as part of ongoing improvements which include the strengthening of Williamson Street viaduct, upgrading track at Miles Platting and the installation of new equipment for signalling cables. 

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is a huge project which will bring faster and more reliable services between Manchester and York, via Huddersfield and Leeds

During the weekend of the 2^nd and 3^rd of October, trains between Manchester and Stalybridge will run via Manchester Piccadilly but not Manchester Victoria. Passengers are being urged to check their journey ahead.

Passengers travelling between Manchester and Stalybridge this weekend will also need to check their journeys ahead as other essential railway upgrades will be ongoing. 

Last month major work was carried out reconstructing railway bridges, installing new signals and upgrading more than 3,000m of track throughout Greater Manchester as part of the TRU and will bring improved connectivity for the North of England and will also see faster and more reliable services for passengers travelling between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

During the latest stage of the project, TRU engineers will undertake the strengthening of railway bridges, which are part of the Williamson Street viaduct. Alongside this work, they will undertake the upgrade work to track at Miles Platting installing overhead line equipment foundations and new equipment for cables which is preparation for work to be completed in October, which will upgrade the signalling system. 

For the work to be carried out safely, the following changes will be put in place:

Saturday the 2^nd of October:

• TransPennine Express services from Yorkshire and the North East will be diverted to Manchester Piccadilly.

• TransPennine Express services from Liverpool will be diverted to Manchester Airport.

• Rail replacement buses will replace Northern services between Stalybridge and Guide Bridge to connect with trains to and from Manchester Piccadilly

Sunday the 3^rd of October:

• TransPennine Express services from Yorkshire and the North East will be diverted into Manchester Piccadilly

• Rail replacement buses will replace TransPennine Express services between Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly

• Rail replacement buses will replace Northern services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge, and Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne

Changes will also be made to TransPennine Express and Northern services on Sunday the 10^th of October and Sunday the 17^th of October between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge to allow vital upgrade work to continue in the Manchester area. During this time services will be diverted via Manchester Victoria which should keep passengers on trains as much as possible.

Sunday the 10^th and 17^th of October:

• No train services will run between Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge

• Transpennine Express services will be diverted to Manchester Victoria

• Rail replacement buses will replace Northern services between Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield/Glossop

Sunday the 31^st of October:

• No train services will run between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge

• TransPennine Express services will be diverted into Manchester Piccadilly

• Rail replacement buses will replace Northern services between Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria, calling at Ashton-under-Lyne

Passengers are advised to check journeys ahead, allowing plenty of time. Journeys can be checked via National Rail Enquiries or with the train operator.

Neil Holm, Transpennine Route Upgrade Director for Network Rail, said: “We made major progress during our 16 day upgrade this summer where we reconstructed railway bridges and upgraded track in central Manchester. This latest phase of the project, which involves further improvements to the track and work to install new equipment, will allow upgrades to the signalling system to take place next month.

“All of this work will boost reliability and eventually allow faster, more frequent trains to run on the Transpennine route between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and Leeds.

“I want to thank passengers for their continued patience while these vital upgrades are carried out. We’re diverting services between Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly to keep people moving by train as much as possible. Some high-quality buses will be used where this isn’t possible and passengers are advised to plan ahead.”

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