Rail line improvement plan gets £1.5m boost

A total of £1.5m has been awarded for the development of plans to improve journeys on a busy train route linking South and West Yorkshire.

Kirklees Council was awarded the government cash to work on its proposals to speed up travel on the Penistone Line, including the revamp of stations on the route, many of which are rural.

The journey from Huddersfield to Sheffield was expected to take "well under an hour" once work on the planned £48m upgrade of the line was complete, according to the authority.

A council spokesperson said: "It's all part of our plans to make the Kirklees economy stronger and greener for future generations."

In 2023, Kirklees, Barnsley and Sheffield councils, together with local MPs and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, made a successful Levelling Up bid to the government for the multimillion-pound overhaul of the line between Huddersfield and Sheffield.

The initial £1.5m would enable the council to take plans forward and draw up a business case for the works, the Kirklees Council spokesperson said.

Over the coming years, the project would include improvements to several "key" Kirklees rail services and stations serving Lockwood, Berry Brow, Honley, Brockholes, Shepley, Stocksmoor and Denby Dale, the spokesperson explained.

The plan was also to increase speed along the line and upgrade the rail infrastructure - including doubling sections of track - to allow two trains to travel on the northern section of the line every hour, in both directions.

The improvements would in turn boost the local economy for people living along the length of the route, according to the council.

Moses Crook, Kirklees Council's cabinet member for transport and housing, said: "The Trans-Pennine upgrade is in full swing and will improve our connections with towns and cities across the north of England.

"The Penistone Line project will make similar improvements to our connections between Huddersfield and Sheffield.

"This is a major project for our whole region, so it's vital to get the planning right."

Crook added that the £1.5m 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".

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