Mike Reader MP, who serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure, visited multiple sites along the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) on Wednesday, 30th July, to witness firsthand the multi-billion-pound railway programme’s transformative work.
Mr. Reader, the MP for Northampton South, demonstrated a keen interest in how the programme is driving economic growth, developing technical skills within the local workforce, and improving connectivity across the North. His visit, which followed a recent inspection by the Transport Select Committee, included detailed briefings and tours of key locations within the TRU footprint.
The first stop was Ravensthorpe, currently one of the largest civil-engineering sites in the country. The station there is undergoing a major redevelopment and will be relocated 200m from its current position to facilitate a range of upgrades. The move to a step-free island platform will allow longer trains with more seating to stop at Ravensthorpe, while the construction of a new viaduct and fly-over will enable faster trains to overtake slower ones.
The visit then moved to Huddersfield, where the station is in the midst of generational change. Mike Reader observed the scale of work being undertaken on the Grade I listed building. These upgrades aim to bring the station up to modern standards while carefully preserving its unique heritage. The work at Huddersfield is a pivotal part of the wider upgrades across the entire route, and a 30-day closure of the station from 30th August will facilitate essential work designed to unlock better rail travel through the town and beyond in the future.
Next, Mr. Reader visited the Kirklees Skills Hub, a state-of-the-art training facility located at Kirklees College’s Engineering Centre. This hub addresses the growing demand for plant operators by equipping learners with practical, industry-relevant skills. Mr. Reader was able to try out the virtual reality plant simulators in the mobile training unit, which is conveniently adjacent to a live construction site featuring real plant machinery. This unique setup offers learners valuable hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment.
James Richardson, TRU managing director, said: “We’re delighted to have welcomed Mike Reader MP to TRU this week. The three locations he visited offer an ideal representation of what the programme is working towards. We were able to showcase the volume and complexity of the engineering projects being undertaken, the innovation involved and the level of teamwork made possible through our Enterprise model. TRU will enhance rail infrastructure and improve connectivity between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York – a key factor in the growth of the region, boosting local economies and unlocking the potential of the North.”
Mike Reader MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure, said: “I’m really glad to have seen up-close the progress being made on the Transpennine Route Upgrade. I caught up with James Richardson at UKREiiF earlier in the year and was particularly keen to see how the programme is driving economic growth. I firmly believe that good infrastructure is key to unlocking better opportunities for the people it serves, and TRU is perhaps one of the country’s best examples of this. Better connecting the towns and cities across the North will greatly improve the potential of the region, and I’m also impressed with how the programme is tackling such a challenge with climate change at the forefront of plans, through the full electrification of the route. Thank you to the TRU team for having me, I’ll be following the progress being made on this transformative programme keenly.”
