For 26 days in March and April, there will be no trains through Stalybridge whilst major work takes place in connection with the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

Between Saturday, 11th March and Wednesday, 5th April, services between Manchester and Leeds will be diverted via the Calder Valley route, although rail-replacement buses will be available to keep passengers moving. During this time, passengers intending to travel on this route should allow extra time and plan ahead using the National Rail Journey Planner or their train operator’s website.

The work is part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will provide more frequent and faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener, and more reliable railway. During the work, engineers will install over 2km of new track and 23 new signals, upgrade 13 crossovers, and install new overhead line equipment.

Additional work will take place before and after the total closure, including on 25th/26th February, 4th/5th March, 15th/16th, 22nd/23rd, and 29th/30th April, and 20th/21 May. Passengers should check before they travel for the latest updates.

During the closure, rail-replacement buses will operate between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield, Manchester Airport and Huddersfield via Stockport, and Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Trains between Marsden and Leeds via Huddersfield will run as normal, calling at all intermediate stations.

Northern services between Southport / Wigan North Western and Stalybridge will start/terminate at Manchester Victoria. Rail replacement buses will run between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.

No TransPennine Express services will run via Stalybridge, but a limited service will run on alternative routes between:

• Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle.
• Manchester Victoria and Saltburn.
• Marsden and Leeds (stopping service).

Replacement buses will run between Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly (fast and stopping), and Huddersfield and Manchester Airport via Stockport.

Hannah Lomas, Industry Programme Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “These upgrades at Stalybridge will mark a significant milestone for the entire programme, bringing us one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys across the North of England.

“We have worked closely with train operators on the route, Northern and TransPennine Express, to make sure that there is a robust plan in place to keep passengers on the move. There will be rail diversions and a mix of express and stopping rail replacement buses between Manchester and Huddersfield, so we’re asking passengers to plan ahead and check before travelling.”

Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “These upgrade works are a vital step towards delivering faster, more reliable and sustainable services between Manchester and York.

“Whilst the engineering work takes place around Stalybridge there will be a number of changes to TransPennine Express services across our network – and we’d advise our customers to check carefully for the latest advice before they travel on our website www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/changes-to-train-times. Updates will also be available on our social media channels. Our teams across from across the industry will be on hand at stations to assist customers with their journeys.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: “We’d like to thank our customers for their patience whilst Stalybridge station is closed for this work. These upgrades will pave the way for Northern to run faster, greener electric trains to Stalybridge in the future. We’re working hard to keep our customers moving throughout the duration of the closure, and we’d like to remind customers to check before they travel.”