Upgrade work at Castleford station has seen a new footbridge and a signalling system put in place as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade which aims to improve passenger journeys across the north of the country.

The new footbridge features lifts which will make Castleford station fully accessible and will connect the station building which has been recently improved as well as to the newly reconstructed second platform which has been out of action for over 20 years.

The second platform is set to open during 2023 and the brand new signalling system will aid trains to run both reliably and on time, the platform will also provide Castleford with more train services over time.

The upgrade work has also seen a new track crossover put in place at Cutsyke which sits west of the station and will provide trains with the ability to serve the platform once open.

The upgrade work took place from Friday the 28th to Sunday the 30th of October and saw a rail replacement bus provided in order to support pasengers travel. Northern staff members were also on hand throughout the period of work to offer any help needed to customers.

Impressive timelapse footage of the upgrade work shows engineering teams lifting the brand new bridge and stairs into position:

The work has come as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and will provide the Castleford line with the opportinity to divert trains, keeping passengers on the move whilst major upgrade work on the main line between York and Leeds takes place.

Andrew Morgan, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail said: “A new platform and better signalling will revitalise rail for those travelling to, through or from Castleford station. This latest milestone marks a huge moment in a scheme which will ultimately offer a fully accessible, better-served station for people in the town.

“It also means that going forward, we’ll be able to keep passengers moving on trains by diverting them via Castleford while we deliver the major Transpennine Route Upgrade.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience as we installed the new footbridge and revamped the signalling.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern said: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience whilst this work took place. Once the new platform and lifts come into service, both sides of the upgraded Castleford station will be fully accessible for all, with more resilience built into the station allowing us to run a better service for our customers.”

To find out more about the Transpennine Route Upgrade please visit: http://www.thetrupgrade.co.uk