West Yorkshire rail passengers warned of Christmas disruption with station set to close
Mirfield Station is set to shut over Xmas - for work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade
Kirklees passengers travelling via rail this Christmas are being warned to plan ahead, as major upgrades continue to cause disruption.
Work on the railway is taking place across West Yorkshire as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) – a multi-billion pound scheme designed to improve journeys for passengers travelling between Manchester, Leeds and York.
In Mirfield, the station will be closed from Tuesday, December 23, reopening on Saturday, December 27. During this time, customers are being reminded to check before they travel and can plan their journeys ahead of time at nationalrail.co.uk or their train operator’s website.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director, said: “It’s great to see that the investment in Mirfield station by the TRU programme is bearing fruit.
“Whilst these works take place, no train services will be able to run between Huddersfield and Dewsbury. TransPennine Express services will terminate at Huddersfield from the west and at Dewsbury or Leeds from the east, with rail replacement bus services running between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, Leeds, and Wakefield Kirkgate.
“We have also worked together with Northern to support our customers, with TPE picking up local services between Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield via the Calder Valley, enabling Northern to strengthen services between Leeds and Manchester Victoria via Halifax.
“Given the scale of these works, we urge everyone to check before travelling on the days leading up to Christmas. Also, please be mindful that services will finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and no trains will run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.”
When Mirfield Station reopens, it will have two brand-new platforms designed for longer trains with more seats, as well as accessibility improvements. The Mirfield upgrade forms part of a wider programme of works taking place in the area which will see track realigned through the station to support faster, more frequent services, as well as new signalling equipment installed to boost reliability across the route.
Following this series of upgrades, further engineering work will be carried out as teams install drainage in the car park and permanent lighting on the approach to it. Work to Station Road underneath the railway bridge will also be undertaken. Throughout this period, Platform 3 will remain in use alongside the new Platforms 1 and 2.
Elsewhere, progress continues on the full rebuild of Deighton station, which remains closed. Over the Christmas period (December 25-26), teams will demolish the Whitacre Street overbridge ahead of it being replaced with a taller, wider structure. This will allow for new track alignment and the installation of overhead line equipment, helping deliver greener, electric trains in the future.