TRU West Alliance

🛤️Progress Update: Transforming Hillhouse Sidings for the Future!!🛤️ Over the past six months, the TRU West Alliance track team have been working hard at Hillhouse Sidings on our W3 project, delivering ongoing construction as part of The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). But what is a railway siding, and why is this work so important? A railway siding is a low-speed track that branches off the mainline, providing space for trains to be stored, maintained, or prepared for their next journey. At Hillhouse, we are constructing a modern, future-ready siding that will play a critical role in supporting rail operations, increasing efficiency, and improving overall network capacity. Before the track team could get started, our major civils team worked tirelessly to clear the area and undertake essential groundworks and drainage, creating a strong and stable foundation for the track team to lay the tracks. While it may not match the vast scale of the original sidings built here over 100 years ago 🤯, (check out the black and white pic) this work is a key step in delivering a reliable and resilient railway for generations to come. Keep up the great work Team West! Amey, Arup, BAM UK & Ireland, Network Rail, Siemens #TRUWestAlliance #TranspennineRouteUpgrade #HillhouseSidings #RailwayInnovation #Infrastructure #Progress #Collaboration  

🏗️Span 29 Bridge Deck Success! A Testament to Teamwork and Dedication 🏗️ This weekend, the TRU West Alliance successfully completed one of the key milestones in the strengthening of Span 29 bridge deck on Northgate Road in Huddersfield, replacing the structure removed at Easter 2024. This critical milestone brings us one step closer to enabling the new lines as part of The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). The operation involved the installation of four 35-metre-long pre-cast concrete beams: One large beam weighing approximately 111 tonnes, and Three smaller beams, each weighing around 72.5 tonnes. Transported from our North Road compound using an 18-axle wagon and trailer with a police escort, the beams were lifted into place by a 750-tonne crane. Despite the freezing conditions, the entire installation was completed in just 17 hours, with all beams safely in position by 05:00 on Sunday morning. 💪 Recognition for Our Site Teams This success is a testament to the incredible skill, focus, and dedication of our site teams, who carried out this challenging and demanding work safely and efficiently. Their commitment is what makes milestones like this possible. ❄️ Wellbeing in the Cold With temperatures dropping to -4°C, supporting our teams’ wellbeing was essential. A butty van provided free hot food and drinks, while thermal gear, including hat liners, long johns, and heated gilets, helped everyone stay warm and comfortable. 👏 A TRU Team Effort This installation highlights the power of collaboration. While the site teams delivered the work on the ground, their success was supported by the planning, preparation, and dedication of the entire TRU West Alliance team. Thank you to everyone who played a part in this achievement. Together, we’re building something extraordinary. 🚆 Amey, Arup, BAM UK & Ireland, Network Rail Siemens #teamwork #safetyfirst #infrastructure #transpenninerouteupgrade

⚡🚆West Alliance Celebrates Final Milestone on W1 Project🚆⚡ 🚆 This week, we celebrated a transformative moment for the West Alliance and the #TRU program as TransPennine Express successfully launched their first electric train services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Alison Davies, W1 Project Director, shared: "We are running the TPE service from Manchester to Stalybridge after our overnight commissioning and completion of the automatic power changeover works. I’m incredibly proud of the team and everything we’ve achieved over the years, and this marks our final milestone on the W1 project." Design Director, Andy Belcham added: "I’m immensely proud of our team that has made this happen. Although we’ve been focusing on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ for many years now to get to this point, it’s not been easy. But this is the ‘why’—this morning is about our passengers. It’s about making it greener, easier, faster, and more reliable for them to get to where they need to be." This achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved on the West Alliance and the W1 project. Thank you to the entire team for helping us deliver a greener, more reliable future for passengers. Amey Arup BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail Siemens https://lnkd.in/eaBqRzSP #ProudToDeliver #TRU #elecTRUfication.  🌍💚

🚉 Protecting Community Heritage While Delivering Reliable, Accessible, and Greener Travel for the North of England 🌿 As part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, essential station upgrades are underway at Huddersfield Station. These include the addition of two new platforms and extensive track enhancements, which will significantly increase the station's capacity. These improvements will reduce congestion and enable more reliable, smoother services for passengers traveling across the North of England. Huddersfield Station holds Grade I listed status, and a key focus of the upgrades is the preservation of its rich historical character. Special care is being taken to restore its architectural heritage, including the station’s historic roof and the much-loved timber-fronted tea rooms, which have been a central feature of Huddersfield Station for over 140 years. Despite their historical significance, the tea rooms have never undergone a full restoration. Time and usage have inevitably taken their toll, and now a comprehensive restoration is essential to ensure they remain a vibrant part of the station’s future. This meticulous process will not only return the tea rooms to their former glory but also integrate them seamlessly into the new platform layout, preserving their place in Huddersfield’s community heritage for generations to come. Due to the heritage listing, the tea rooms first needed to be carefully dismantled piece by piece. This presented a logistical challenge in a busy, operational station, and without the use of power tools to protect the building’s historic structure. Despite these challenges, the team successfully completed the dismantling on schedule, demonstrating both their dedication to preserving the station's history and ensuring that passengers experienced no disruption to their journeys. The tea room components have been safely transported to Shrewsbury, where they are now stored in a climatically controlled environment for a year-long restoration project. Experts will carefully assess the condition of the tea rooms, using historically appropriate techniques and materials for the repairs. This process includes peeling back up to 50 layers of paint, each layer revealing a piece of the tea room’s long history. This careful restoration will continue in tandem with the critical track and platform upgrades at Huddersfield Station. Once these improvements are completed, the fully restored tea rooms will be returned and reassembled piece by piece, ensuring this iconic landmark takes its place once again in the station. Not only will it serve as a historical gem for the community, but it will also function as an integral part of the newly modernized station. We are proud to play a role in preserving Huddersfield’s heritage while supporting the delivery of sustainable, reliable travel for the future of the North of England. 🚆

🎉🍰☕Thrilled to Announce: Over £1300 Raised for Macmillan🍰☕ 🎉 This week the West Alliance held coffee mornings across a number of our sites in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research, raising over £1300! This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and hard work of everyone who donated, baked, and got involved to make the day such a success! A heartfelt thank you to all who contributed, volunteered, and made this event so special. Your efforts are making a real difference in supporting Macmillan’s vital work. A special shoutout to our awesome organisers: Steve Hamer, ELIZABETH MIDDLETON, Ellena Taylor, Phil Wilkinson, Andrew Brown , Sarah Mawson, Nicky Benson, Andrea Walkden, Jack Abbott-Cragg, Joel Rabbidge, Nicky Curtis, Thomas Dowse and Caroline Briggs — we couldn’t have done it without you! We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to our supply chain partners Universal Security, Flannery Plant Hire and Red CCTV who generously donated to the appeal. Amey Arup BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail Siemens Together, we are making a real difference. 💚 #MacmillanCancerSupport #Charity #TeamEffort #WestAlliance #MakingADifference

A fantastic scheme that the TRU West Alliance are proud and excited to be part of! We look forward to welcoming you all!

Great News. We are Finalists! The TRU West Alliance has been named as one of the finalists for the Global Project Controls Innovation of the Year award for our TRU West Alliance Reporting App! 🎉 This recognition highlights the innovative approach our team has taken to streamline reporting and enhance project control processes, contributing to the success of the TRU project. A huge thank you to everyone involved, Marc Rozsa PhD ChPP, Tom Bright, Paul Butler, Ashley Williams, Neeraj Ajit Sukumaran, Rathan Raju and Colin McIntyre. This is a testament to your hard work and dedication. Looking forward to the final results! Amey Arup BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail Siemens #Innovation #ProjectControls #TRU #Teamwork #WestAlliance #RailIndustry

🚨 Exciting News🚨 We are thrilled to announce the opening of the TRU West Alliance HD1 Compound, located next to Huddersfield Station, as we continue our crucial work on The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). This state-of-the-art, 5-floor facility, constructed from 100 locally built cabins (10x3 metres each), is designed to offer the best facilities for over 500 staff delivering this transformative railway upgrade. Our teams are at the heart of this project, and we’ve created a workspace that truly supports them, offering: 👷 Specialised facilities for 250 site staff, including a PPE drying room and changing facilities 💼 250 workstations for seamless project management and coordination 🌿 A wellbeing room and multi-faith room to ensure the health and comfort of every team member 🌄 A viewing deck with stunning panoramic views of Huddersfield Station and the surrounding hills ♿ Fully accessible, with a lift for easy movement throughout the facility from November 🍽 A café and kitchens for convenience and relaxation ❄️ Fully air-conditioned workspaces to boost productivity and comfort year-round 🏗 Comprehensive induction and training facilities to equip our teams for safe and efficient work 📅 12 meeting rooms to facilitate collaboration, teamwork, and planning The West Alliance are committed to ensuring that our teams have the best possible environment to excel in their roles. This compound is a key part of our mission to provide not only the best railway upgrades but also the best facilities for the people making it happen. A huge thank you to everyone involved in the planning and build! Together, we’re building a more connected and sustainable future for the North. Amey Arup BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail Siemens #TranspennineRouteUpgrade #WestAlliance #Infrastructure #RailwayUpgrades #Huddersfield #TRUWest

🚆 Major Electrification Milestone 🚆 This August, the West Alliance reached a significant milestone as the Northern Class 331 electric train made its first journey on the newly electrified route from Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge Station — the first section of The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) to be electrified. This accomplishment is the result of five years of hard work by the West Alliance, starting from concept and development through to design, installation, and testing, involving: 🏗️ 16 Construction Units 📐 99 Design AFC Packs 🔩 641 Foundations 🔧 944 Main Part Steel 🛠️ 828 Cantilevers 🏭 4 New Substations/TSCs 🔗 1055 Bonds 🔌 46 Wire Runs One of the key challenges was managing a 26-day blockade in 2023, which allowed us to install essential infrastructure, including the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) system, Siemens EL substations, new track layouts, a digital signalling system, and a higher speed junction at Stalybridge. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to achieving this milestone. Your efforts are paving the way for the future of rail travel on this route. Amey, Arup, BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail, and Siemens TransPennine Express Northern #teamwork #TranspennineRouteUpgrade #TRU #RailInfrastructure #WestAlliance #RailElectrification

🚆 West Alliance Project Milestone: Successful Midweek Blockades! 🚆 We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of 4 weeks of 120-hour midweek blockades, during which the West Alliance team has made significant strides in enhancing our rail infrastructure as part of the The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). These works were delivered and completed between Cottingley to Leeds and at Morley Station. Here are the impressive achievements from our dedicated team efforts: ✓ 1330m of CAT14 Track Renewal ✓ 170m of CAT11 Track Renewal ✓ 511m of Cess Drainage ✓ 5 Drainage Catchpits Reinstated ✓ 270m of Platform Copers removed and reinstated ✓ 2 Signal sightings verified post Track Renewal ✓ 3400m of redundant cables recovered ✓ 240m of troughing lids secured These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the West Alliance team and our supply chain partners, ensuring a more reliable rail services for all. As part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, these improvements will significantly enhance connectivity, reduce journey times, and increase the capacity and reliability of the rail network across the North of England. A big thank you to everyone involved! Amey Arup BAM UK & Ireland Network Rail Siemens #WestAlliance #TranspennineRouteUpgrade #RailInfrastructure #TeamWork #EngineeringExcellence #ProjectMilestone #RailwayUpgrades