What to do when station is closed to train travellers for 30 days

Rail passengers are being warned of disruption when Huddersfield Station closes for 30 days as part of a major project to improve transport across the north of England.

From Saturday 30 August until Sunday 28 September, no services will run through the station, affecting travel to and from major cities including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and York.

Network Rail, which is carrying out the work, said customers would be kept on the move via diversionary routes or rail replacement buses.

However, people are being “strongly advised” to plan their journeys ahead of time.

Major engineering work is taking place as a part of the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which Network Rail says will improve connectivity in the north.

During the closure, the station will be remodelled to make it more accessible with better facilities.

Work will also be carried out to reconstruct and extend platforms to accommodate longer trains as well as strengthening Huddersfield viaduct and upgrading tracks and signalling.

Chris Nutton, major projects and TRU director at TransPennine Express, said while it was not ideal to close the station, it was needed in order to “make the railway more reliable and provide longer, high-capacity trains in the future”.

During the month-long closure, trains will be impacted between Huddersfield, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York with passengers required to use replacement buses or alternative routes through other stations.

For those travelling to and from Huddersfield, Brighouse Station will operate as the main interchange with a bus service in place every 15 minutes to ferry people between the two locations to connect with trains.

For passengers travelling to and from Manchester, Stalybridge will act as a road and rail interchange with onward travel from there.

Local rail operators said they were working to ensure smooth connectivity between the affected areas, with additional services expected to be provided where possible.

Mr Nutton said the most frequent journey made from Huddersfield was to Leeds.

He said that journey times would likely increase by about 15 minutes, while the journey time from Huddersfield to Manchester was expected to double.

He added: “All the feedback from customers is they want to make their journey by rail as much as possible but we would urge people to check their journey times before travel.”

As well as rail disruption, several road closures will also be in place throughout the works, including Bradford Road and Northgate, John William Street, Fitzwilliam Street, Viaduct Street and the Castlegate Loop.

The move has caused frustration for some businesses in the town who fear they will be left counting the cost of the disruption.

Taxi drivers who rely on fares to and from the station said they would likely lose hundreds of pounds during the closure.

Driver Suhail Rashid said: “It is the main part of our business so where are we going to get the footfall when it’s shut?”

The closure will also mean that a newsagents and coffee shop on the concourse will have to temporarily close, as will two pubs in converted parts of the Victorian station.

Samantha Sharp, manager of Huddersfield BID, acknowledged there would be some disruption but that the rail upgrades were vital to “the continuing growth of the town”.

Harpreet Uppal, Labour MP for Huddersfield said: “I know this will cause some disruption but the work at the train station is part of the biggest rail infrastructure project in the country.

“Once the TransPennine route upgrade is complete, it will mean faster, more reliable services, better connections, and a station that’s fit for the future.”

However, she said it was vital the TRU team ensured changes were “communicated effectively and that engagement continues with local residents, businesses and stakeholders”.

Following the 30-day closure, only three of the six platforms at the station will be in use, with work continuing there until January 2027.

This means there will be changes to the timetable for services that would usually start or end their journey at Huddersfield.

The work will impact local stopping services that run between Huddersfield and Leeds and Bradford.