Osmondthorpe Lane, Leeds: Engineers to replace vital railway bridge in West Yorkshire over Christmas period resulting in no train services between Leeds and Micklefield during that period

Between December 25 and 29, 2024, more than 100 engineers will be replacing the old bridge deck above Osmondthorpe Lane in Leeds with a new, stronger structure that will enable the tracks to be moved into a better position. It will also allow faster and longer trains to run.

This project is part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and as a result, as well as Christmas Day and Boxing Day when the railway is closed, no train services will run between Leeds and Micklefield on December 27, 28 and 29, with trains being diverted or replaced by buses.

TransPennine Express services between Leeds and York, and Leeds and Selby, will be diverted via Castleford.

Northern services between Leeds and York, and Leeds and Selby, will be replaced by hourly rail replacement buses, calling at all local stations.

Most of the CrossCountry services between Sheffield and York will be diverted via Doncaster and will not call at Wakefield Westgate or Leeds.

Customers should also be aware that on Friday, December 27, 2024, TransPennine Express services between Manchester Piccadilly and York will start/terminate at Wakefield Kirkgate instead of York. Rail replacement buses will run between Wakefield Kirkgate and York.

Customers wishing to travel on these dates are advised to plan ahead and check before they travel on the National Rail website as timetables will be altered and many journeys will take longer.

Osmondthorpe Lane, the highway under the railway bridge, will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians from midnight on Friday, December 20 until 6pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. This is to allow essential preparatory and final completion work to be safely carried out.

Signed diversion routes will be in place. TRU engineers will also be carrying out several other pieces of improvement work across the 70-mile route on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when train services traditionally do not run.

These include: Church Fenton, where foundations will be piled for new overhead line equipment, which will enable electric trains to be introduced in the future; Mirfield, where engineers will be removing a section of Station Road railway bridge, opening up the station wall to create a new station entrance and carrying out piling for a new station platform; near Miles Platting in Manchester, where workers will be replacing a set of track points, which enable trains to change from one line to another.

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Senior sponsor for the TRU, Adam Sellers, said: “These upgrades are a vital part of our wider programme of work, and I’d like to thank passengers and local residents for their patience and understanding while they take place.

“We understand how important the festive period is for people seeing family and friends, so we have worked closely with our train operating colleagues to keep people on the move.

“The festive period is one of the quietest times on the railway, meaning we can carry out important work whilst causing less disruption.

“I’d encourage anyone travelling by train to plan their journey ahead of time and check National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.

Major projects and TRU director at TransPennine Express, Chris Nutton, said: “The bridge work taking place at Osmondthorpe Lane is essential for the delivery of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and will allow us to run faster trains with more passengers down the line.

“While this work is being carried out, TransPennine Express will operate an amended timetable on our North Route services and divert trains between Leeds and York via a diversionary route, with slightly longer journey times. We'd like to advise customers to check before they travel.”

The TRU is transforming journeys across the North by better connecting towns and cities with more frequent, faster, greener trains, running on a better, cleaner and more reliable railway between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.