Sheffield-Huddersfield rail route gets £48m boost

The Penistone Line upgrade aims to improve service reliability for passengers, the government says

Nearly £48m has been awarded to upgrade the railway between Sheffield and Huddersfield, the government has said.

Track and stations would be improved on the Penistone line in a bid to boost journey times and service reliability on the route, officials confirmed.

The funding has been awarded as part of the government's levelling up agenda.

Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, welcomed the £47.9m cash boost, saying the route had been "slow for too long".

The Penistone line upgrade bid was led by Kirklees Council in collaboration with Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authorities.

On Monday, the government announced the funding boost, which it said would allow upgrades to track layouts, signalling and stations.

Conservative MP Miriam Cates welcomed the government's announcement, saying the route had been "slow for too long"

It was hoped that in the future, the frequency of rail services on the Penistone route could be doubled to two trains per hour running between Huddersfield and Sheffield via Barnsley.

Ms Cates said the upgrade would be "a huge boost" for the area, but said train operators also needed to "do what is necessary" to improve service reliability.

She said: "For too long this route has been slow and unreliable, putting people off train travel and damaging the local economy."

The Penistone line upgrade is one of 55 projects across the UK that have been awarded funding as part of a third investment round, the government said.

The Yorkshire and Humber region is set to receive a total of £169m, the North West will receive £128m, the North East £59m and the Midlands £171m.