£1.5 million has been granted for plans to improve the Northern trains rail line that runs from Huddersfield to Sheffield
Kirklees Council has been assigned £1.5 million to improve the running of the Penistone rail line which operates across West and South Yorkshire after calls for better services.
The line, used by majority rural commuters, has previously been under pressure from the public to revamp the running of the service after frequent delays and lengthy journey times. It faces both capacity and reliability issues due to its single track; this will be changed through a proposed remodelling of the track.
The signalling system, a factor in the lines frequent cancellations, will be improved alongside upgraded bridges in rural stations.
Coun Moses Crook, Kirklees Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Housing said: “This is a major project for our whole region so it’s vital to get the planning right. The funding will help us get on with the job to make rail travel quicker and more comfortable for passengers as well as bringing jobs and opportunities for residents and businesses.”
The journey, which runs from Huddersfield to Sheffield currently takes an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes this is set to be well under an hour when the plans are put in place. The frequency of the service will also change with the current hourly service switching to every 30 minutes.
These improvements are warmly welcomed by commuters, who have previously stated the poor reliability and long wait times forced them to drive to work.
One commuter told ShefLive; “I’m from Barnsley and travel to Sheffield for work, when I first started I used the train once or twice because I thought it would be easier than driving, but the delays and cancellations were just annoying, it’s better to drive”
One of Kirklees council’s primary motives for the improvement plans was to reduce Northern England’s carbon footprint and support the government’s net zero plans. They aim to save 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year and remove over 1,000 lorries off the road each day.
Due to the scale of the project, it is expected to impact the running of services around Yorkshire, causing greater delays in the coming years.
