RFG Position Papers on Transpennine Upgrade

RFG has published two draft position papers on the Transpennine Upgrade.

Choice of Diggle as Route for Future Freight Traffic
There are several routes over the north Pennines of which that via Stalybridge and Huddersfield (‘the Diggle route’) is the one chosen by government for significant upgrade. In deciding how to route future heavy and intermodal freight traffic over these increasingly congested rail routes the following criteria have been considered and accepted into the current DfT/Network Rail work for Diggle (the Transpennine Route Upgrade – TRU) although it is noted that Network Rail has only currently been remitted to see what the add-on infrastructure costs/feasibility would be.

TRU Freight Requirements – The Commercial Drivers
Following pressure from shippers, port groups and rail hauliers an assessment has for the past eighteen months been being carried out into the infrastructure changes that will require to be carried out to allow freight to share the North Transpennine
‘Diggle’ rail route (Manchester-Stalybridge-Huddersfield/the east/northeast) following its planned upgrade for enhanced passenger services. This work is being led by Network Rail.