Network Rail Installs 37 Miles of Electric Wires for Transpennine Route Upgrade

Network Rail has installed 37 miles of electric wires between Church Fenton and Colton Junction as part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade.

This section of line is one of the busiest stretches of railway in the north, where trains from Leeds join the East Coast Main Line into York.

The completed work is a crucial step towards delivering a fully electrified railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. Once the newly-installed wires are energised, greener electric and hybrid trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 125mph, which is 30mph faster than the current limit.

Transpennine Route Upgrade’s first electric wires
Transpennine Route Upgrade’s first electric wires now in place to power greener journeys
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said:

“Our multi-billion pound Transpennine Route upgrade will transform journeys for passengers across the North of England, with faster, more frequent services and improved accessibility.

“This is the first major milestone on the way to a fully electrified route between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester, which will reduce journey times and save 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.”

Network Rail engineers have completed around 9000 hours of work over the last four months to install the 37 miles of overhead wires.

When complete across the full 70-mile route, the electrification upgrade will help save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Rob McIntosh, Managing Director for Network Rail’s Eastern region said:

“We’ve reached a major milestone on our journey to bring cleaner, greener trains to the north and deliver a better railway which people can rely on.

“Our teams in York and Manchester are working in tandem to electrify sections of the route and will eventually connect to unlock faster, more frequent services and help passengers get to where they need to be, on time.”

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