The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has celebrated a significant achievement, with 25% of the 70-mile route now electrified. The milestone was marked on Sunday, 3rd August 2025, when the first electric passenger train officially ran between York (Colton Junction) and Church Fenton.
This progress lays the groundwork for a faster, greener, and more reliable railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York. The completion of the Leeds to York phase was delivered ahead of schedule and within budget in several key areas. To celebrate, Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, travelled on a TransPennine Express bi-mode train on Tuesday, 5th August, making use of the newly electrified section.
James Richardson, Managing Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “Electric trains running between York and Church Fenton is a significant step forward in the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme. We have reached a key milestone as 25% of the route is now electrified, enabling greener, faster, and more reliable journeys between York, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Manchester in the future. The improvements are already bringing economic and social benefits along the route and wider communities across the North. It was fantastic to celebrate this with the TRU team today, who have brought together all parts of the rail industry to deliver this success. We remain committed to delivering this transformative programme on time and on budget.”
This achievement builds on a previous milestone from last year when electric passenger services began running between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. The TRU is on track for 40% of the route to be electrified by summer 2027, with full-route electrification expected by early 2030.
The full electrification of the route is projected to bring substantial benefits, including an annual reduction of up to 108,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and the removal of over 1,000 lorries from the road each day by enabling more rail freight.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said: “This terrific achievement by the TRU programme shows what an exciting time it is for the railway in the North of England. This milestone will allow our bi-mode Nova 1 (class 802) trains to utilise the electric wires between Church Fenton and York, delivering greener journeys to our customers and giving them a further glimpse of the future, as TRU continues to transform the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. A lot of work has gone into the delivery of this moment that will deliver benefits for TransPennine Express customers, and I want to thank everyone involved for getting it over the line.”
Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: “This is a significant step forward for rail travel in the North. The electrification of the route, including the key stretch where Northern’s trains are now running on electric power between Manchester and Stalybridge, brings us closer to delivering even faster, greener, and more reliable journeys for our customers.”
Beyond the environmental advantages, the Transpennine Route Upgrade will:
- Reduce journey times between key towns and cities.
- Increase capacity by more than a third, allowing for more frequent, faster trains.
- Create lasting social and economic value, supporting over 5,000 jobs to date, with a peak workforce of 8,000 forecast.
- Improve stations with increased accessibility and better customer facilities.
- Drive regeneration, including supporting 4,000 new homes through the new station at Ravensthorpe.
This progress has been made possible through a collaborative industry effort and a whole-route approach that ensures services continue to run while the upgrades are delivered.
