Significant progress is being made in the delivery of upgrades by the Transpennine Route Upgrade team in Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire following the closure of the station in December, with work on the new Calder Road bridge and Baker Viaduct well underway.
TRU will build a new, modernised Ravensthorpe station 200 metres west of the current site, which will have a footbridge with lifts for step-free access, along with a new forecourt and drop-off facilities. A new, extended island platform also means that longer trains with more seats for customers will be able to stop there.
Key projects like the new Calder Road bridge and the construction of Baker Viaduct are advancing well and are vital in facilitating these upgrades.
Twenty pre-cast concrete beams were installed on Calder Road bridge last year, with the TRU team now in the process of installing parapets to complete the structure. The bridge construction, along with the box junction built underneath, will accommodate new rail alignments – four-tracking – that will allow direct services to overtake stopping services and reduce journey times.
The nearby Baker Viaduct has also seen significant progress, with 16 of the 18 columns required to support the structure now complete. The structural steelwork for the first three spans have also been erected, with Span 2 crossing the historic Calder & Hebble Navigation Canal. The new viaduct will also sweep over the River Calder.
Overhead line equipment (OLE) will be installed throughout the area, powering greener, electric trains in the future.
Calder Road bridge and Baker Viaduct will be connected via a new, grade-separated flyover. Earthwork structures such as embankments and retaining walls will be pivotal to this, and 2025 saw approximately 130,000m³ of material placed across Ravensthorpe triangle. A similar volume will be used this year to complete the works which will enable faster, more frequent services to travel through the area and beyond.
Andrew Campbell, TRU sponsor, said: “We made great strides across Ravensthorpe last year, and the recent closure of the station has helped us accelerate progress.
“We’re looking forward to a busy 2026 in the area, and are excited to deliver an improved, modernised station that will improve the customer experience and support better rail journeys across the North.”
Image credit: Network Rail