TRU East Alliance completes major upgrades that will transform train travel in the north of England
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) East of Leeds Alliance has delivered a significant package of improvements between Leeds and York, helping deliver faster, greener, more frequent services across the North.
Following more than a year of planning, collaboration and preparation, the Entry into Service (EiS) U blockade has been successfully completed, after a successful 32 day blockade.
This programme represents one of the largest and most complex pieces of work delivered by the TRU East Alliance, comprised of VolkerRail, Network Rail, Murphy, Siemens Mobility, and SYSTRA.
The majority of the infrastructure re-modelling took place in and around the Church Fenton, with the blockade delivering two key EiS milestones:
Stage 1: The culmination of two years of rail systems improvements. Within the first 100 hours, teams installed 17 kilometres of lineside containment and bases, creating a new route for low voltage power distribution, new signalling systems and new telecoms cables. These systems were commissioned into use between Leeds and Church Fenton, including new data and screen changes at York’s Regional Operations Centre, where the new signalling system will be controlled.
Stage 2: The remainder of the blockade focused on re-modelling the infrastructure including 3km of track, eleven switches and crossings, 70 new signals, major earthworks and platform modifications to enable future line speed increases.
Ahead of the blockade, the installation of Rose Lane Bridge and Barrowby Bridleway Bridge marked significant enabling milestones. These structures allowed eight level crossings/user works crossings in the surrounding area to be closed, delivering significant safety improvements and providing safer routes for pedestrians and vehicles to cross the railway.
“On behalf of the entire TRUe Alliance leadership team, we would like to express our deepest thanks and admiration for the dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment of the TRU East Alliance. “This was an extraordinary undertaking. Delivering a blockade of this duration and complexity is a remarkable feat. The scale, complexity, and intensity of the works demanded not only technical excellence but also professionalism, composure, and teamwork. Your efforts have made a lasting difference that will be felt long into the future.”
Stuart Birch VolkerRail managing director
Jamie Rothwell, transportation managing director at Murphy, said: “This latest project milestone demonstrates the truly collaborative nature of the TRU East Alliance. At Murphy we are proud to have played our part in successfully completing this blockade and look forward to continuing to work together on upgrades in order to deliver faster, greener, more reliable train services between York, Leeds and Manchester.
Matt Kent, director of operations and manufacturing - rail infrastructure, Siemens Mobility UK&I, said: "We’re incredibly proud to be a partner in this project, providing signalling, power and telecommunications backed by 18,000 engineering hours. This vital upgrade enhances safety, bolsters resilience, and improves punctuality, creating a more reliable route for passengers and freight users. Achievements of this scale are only possible through the expertise, dedication and collaboration of our teams and partners, marking a crucial step in our commitment to transform rail travel and transport for the North.”
Steph McElhatton, programme director at SYSTRA, said: “The collaborative approach among the TRU East Alliance partners is clear to see in the delivery of this most recent work, and in every piece of the project completed to date. The whole team is rightly proud of their role in bringing faster, greener and more reliable services to the North of England.”
James Richardson, TRU managing director, said: “It’s great to have completed these critical railway upgrades, between Leeds and York. Facing all weathers, our teams worked around the clock during the Christmas period and through January, delivering a host of improvements for passengers, safely and on time.
“Our work highlights the impact we are making in transforming the railway in the North of England, helping to enable economic growth, while building future capability for major projects.”
This successful delivery reflects the collective effort of everyone involved, from on-site teams and support functions to those who played a critical role in planning, assurance and coordination.
