This achievement follows the completion of upgrade work between Church Fenton and Colton Junction, where trains from Leeds join the East Coast Main Line towards York. The new overhead line equipment was energised for the first time in July. This section is one of the busiest in the north, with over 100 trains passing through daily.
This progress is a step towards a cleaner, greener, fully electrified railway between York, Leeds, and Manchester.
Adam Sellers, Senior Sponsor at TRU, said: “This is a major achievement in our plans to bring cleaner, faster and better travel to the people of the North of England.
“The test trains successfully demonstrated that the new overhead equipment is operating as it should, ahead of the introduction of electric services in the future.“
People can see that TRU is very much in the delivery phase now and the benefits of all our teams’ hard work over the last three years is starting to show.”
The overhead line equipment (OLE), which carries 25,000 volts, will allow more environmentally friendly electric and bi-mode trains to run at speeds of up to 125mph—30mph faster than they currently run—reducing journey times.
Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TransPennine Express, said: "It’s very exciting to see the electrification of the Transpennine main line come one step closer with this new major milestone, and a big step in bringing cleaner, faster, and better rail journeys to the North of England. “I want to thank our colleagues from the TRU East Alliance, our Operations change teams, test operator - the Rail Operations Group and all others who’ve played a part in this fantastic achievement.”
The tests were conducted using a TransPennine Express (TPE) Class 802 bi-mode train, operated by the Rail Operations Group, who supported TPE and the TRU East Alliance team in delivering these key tests in the early hours of the morning.
Jonathan Gavin-Jones, Business Development Manager at Rail Operations Group, said: “The TRU programme is one of the most exciting and ambitious infrastructure projects on the UK rail network. “Rail Operations Group was proud to support TransPennine Express and the TRU East Alliance team to deliver these key tests.”
This is the second section of the route to be electrified as part of TRU, following the successful roll-out of electric services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge this summer. When complete, the full 70-mile route will help save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year—equivalent to 5.9 million car journeys along the same route. For people living near the railway, it will also mean better air quality and quieter trains.
Over the last three years, engineers installed 350 piled foundations to support the new OLE, including 300 new cantilever and portal structures to support 37 miles of new contact catenary wires along this stretch of the line. TRU ensured the construction of these upgrades was delivered sustainably, with the new equipment being assembled locally at the nearby Joseph Lynn Logistics Hub in Sherburn-in-Elmet and transported to the site by train.
Don’t forget leaders and suppliers are meeting in Manchester this November for the TransCityRail North event. Find out more details here
Image and video credit: Network Rail
