Stalybridge railway station begins month-long upgrade

Work on a "once-in-a-generation" upgrade at Stalybridge railway station to prepare the way for line electrification has begun.

Network Rail said the Transpennine Route Upgrade would completely remodel the station approach with more than 2 km (1.2 miles) of new track.

The revamp also includes 23 new signals, upgrading 13 crossovers and fitting overhead line equipment.

Some rail services will be disrupted until 5 April.

Trains will run as normal between Manchester and Leeds.

Replacement buses will keep passengers moving between Manchester and Huddersfield and Manchester and Stalybridge.

The work is part of a multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, which promises faster, more frequent, greener trains, with more seats available for passengers between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Industry Programme Director Hannah Lomas said engineers would "work around the clock" in Stalybridge to complete these key upgrades and "bring us one step closer to being able to run electric trains through the area by the middle of the decade".

The track, which had previously been unchanged since World War One, had a revamp in 2012, providing an extra bay platform, increasing the number of platforms from three to five, providing train overtaking opportunities and raising the very low line speed throughout the station.

The latest work increases line speeds across the west junction to 50mph for all through routes using the oil siding site which is no longer in use.

Once the work has been completed trains would then be able to move in and out of Stalybridge station more easily with better reliability, Network Rail said.

Throughout the works, passengers are urged to check before they travel via National Rail or their train operator's website and to allow extra time for journeys.

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