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Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury)

We’re proposing an upgrade to a section of railway between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) to deliver passenger benefits along the Transpennine railway.

The Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order.

Public Inquiry was held throughout November and December 2021 (For further details of the process please refer to the Public Inquiry website.)

This is with the inspector to write up the Inquiry report, then will go to the Secretary of State for Transport, with a decision to be made in 2022.

On 5 October 2021, in accordance with Rule 16(4) of the Transport and Works Inquiries Procedure Rules 2004, Network Rail submitted Proofs of Evidence for the Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements Order.

On 6 July 2021, in accordance with Rule 7(1) of the Transport and Works Inquiries Procedure Rules 2004, Network Rail submitted the Statement of Case for the Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order.

On 31 March 2021, Network Rail submitted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application to the Secretary of State for Transport for the Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) scheme.  On the same date, Network Rail made an application to Kirklees Council for listed building consents under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conversation Areas) Act 1990 in connection with the proposed works.

To view the TWAO application, the Listed Building Consent Applications and all the plans and documents submitted with them please refer to our application documents below.

Background information

We want to create a better performing railway that passengers can depend on with more seats, more trains and faster journeys. By creating a better-connected North, this will provide people with more opportunities to travel to work, study or see family and friends.

Upgrading the section of railway between Huddersfield and Westtown – about half a mile south-west of Dewsbury Station – is key to delivering the benefits passengers want along the Transpennine railway. The current layout of railway in this area means we can’t run more trains or faster trains than we currently do, and this section of the track can be a cause of delays.

Huddersfield to Westtown overview map
Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) map

Our Proposals

Our proposals to improve the railway between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) include:

  • Double the number of tracks from two to four along the majority of the railway.
  • Upgrading stations at Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield and providing a new station at Ravensthorpe.
  • Separating sections of the track from each other with a bridge (fly-over) at Ravensthorpe.
  • Electrification of the railway from Huddersfield to Ravensthorpe – and right through to Leeds.

The Benefits

With 85% of respondents who fed back through our first round of consultation supporting the scheme, we understand how important it is to passengers and the community that we deliver the benefits of the upgrade.

Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application

If you would like to the view the TWAO application documents, you can do this online via the folders below or download all the documents via the Zip folders.

Listed Building Consents

If you would like to the view the Listed Building Consents documents, you can do this online via the folders below or download all the documents via the Zip folder.

Rule 14(4A) Notice

For information on where any objections to, or other representations about the proposals in the TWAO application or in the Listed Building Consent applications should be sent, please refer to the Rule 14(4A) Notice which you can view below.

Statement of Case

Proofs of Evidence

Public Inquiry

The Public Inquiry is taking place during November and December 2021. For further details, please refer to the Public Inquiry website.

Contact us

If you have any questions or require more information about the scheme, you can email us at: TranspennineEngagement@networkrail.co.uk

You can also visit our contact us page or call our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41. Please quote “Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) – TWAO” to be directed to the correct team.

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