The grants are part of the newly launched £175,000 TRU community fund available to local community groups, schools and charities.

The grants will give local organisations across the 70-mile upgrade route the opportunity to enhance indoor or outdoor community-focused facilities.

Medium grants (£5000 – £20,000) will also be available as part of the fund, and applications for these will open on Monday 19 August.

TRU, a multi-billion-pound railway programme, has designed the community fund to bring real, long-term benefits to the towns and communities in its area of operation.

Funding will be available for community projects within 5 miles of the core TRU route and its key diversionary routes, with priority given to those that promote public space utilisation, especially in areas with high social needs.

Allocation of this funding is being independently managed on behalf of TRU by the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO), which works to promote fairness and equality in the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

The purpose of the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is to transform rail journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York with more frequent, faster trains running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway.

It will also bring passengers a better travel experience through improved, more accessible stations across the Transpennine route.

TRU will increase train frequency between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York, offering up to six fast services per hour between Leeds and Manchester, as well as up to two local stopping services.

The TRU also aims to save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions yearly, and seeks to move more goods by rail (up to 15 more freight trains each day), taking over 1,000 lorries off the road each day.

Interested parties can follow this link to apply for the grants and find more details: Transpennine Route Upgrade Community Fund | www.gmcvo.org.uk

There is even a children’s’ book explaining and celebrating the Transpennine route upgrade.