Month of disruption on York-Leeds train route

The route between York (pictured) and Leeds is used by CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and Northern

A major rail route linking York and Leeds will see more than a month of disruption between Christmas Day and 26 January, Network Rail has said.

Improvements are due to be carried out to signalling, track and power supply around Church Fenton, between Leeds and York, as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

The route will be closed from 25 December to 2 January, with trains diverting via Castleford for a further three weeks.

The closure was announced as part of a raft of network upgrades being carried out over the festive period, with Network Rail encouraging travellers to plan ahead.

Announcing more than £130m of projects across the country, chief network operator Helen Hamlin said: "The period between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the railway and it's the best time for us to do the major projects that will take longer than a night or a weekend to complete."

She said that this year was particularly affected by "some very big plans for improving the railway".

"People may have to travel home on different routes after Christmas than the way they travelled out," she added.

The closure is part of £130m of planned works across the UK's rail network

Northern and TransPennine Express both said passengers would be able to travel between York and Leeds for "most of this time" during the disruption, with trains taking a different route.

In a joint statement, they added: "Whilst the aim is to keep customers on trains as much as possible, some trains will be replaced by buses, particularly between Christmas and New Year, so we'd encourage customers to check before they travel nearer the time."

CrossCountry said most of its trains usually operating on the line would not be calling at Leeds or Wakefield Westgate.

However, journey times would not be affected for most services between Birmingham New Street and York, the firm said, as they would instead call at Doncaster on the way to Sheffield.

A spokesperson said: "During this period, there will be a reduced CrossCountry service between Birmingham New Street, Wakefield Westgate, and Leeds.

"We advise passengers to check our website before they travel and consider using alternative train operators for journeys between Leeds and York."

CrossCountry said journey times between York, Scotland and Birmingham would not be impacted

Natasha Grice, director for rail at independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: "People understand that investment in maintenance and improvement is necessary.

"What's important is that any engineering works are done in a way that considers the network as a whole and minimises the impact on passengers travelling.

"Our research shows that passengers want to be kept on the train wherever possible, know before buying a ticket if part of the journey will be on a rail replacement bus, and for staff to be on hand to help. They also want clear and effective communication at all times."

Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at Rail Delivery Group, said: "The industry is working hard to run as many services as possible, and we kindly remind our customers to remember to treat our railway colleagues with respect during this busy time, as they work to ensure a safe and reliable service for everyone.

"We also ask you to allow extra time for journeys between Christmas and the New Year."

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