At the time of the 1923 Grouping most of the route followed by the line was over London and North Western Railway metals, the exception being a short stretch around Mirfield which was the property of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. The first section of the line, between Huddersfield and Stalybridge, was opened by the Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway on 1 August 1849. The line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway after 1923. The route was furnished with an additional two tracks in 1894, thus giving four tracks between Stalybridge and Leeds. The loss of traffic through the second half of the 20th century saw these cut back to just two lines and the closure of the Micklehurst loop. The length of the line between Manchester Victoria and Holbeck Junction at Leeds is, though the Transpennine upgrade work covers the additional section to York which accounts for.
Future
From spring 2019, the whole route is being upgraded over the course of five years. Network rail state that this will include doubling the track in some places and upgrading stations as well as some of the intended Transpennine electrification programme. The electrification has been curtailed in parts and as such, the sections between Stalybridge and Huddersfield, and a further section of east of Leeds will not be electrified. Emphasis has been placed on the bi-modal power of the new trains using the line; this will necessitate using diesel engines on the hillier sections of track. In August 2019, Network Rail announced a proposal to upgrade the track between Huddersfield and Dewsbury from two tracks to four. At the same time, they also stated their intent to electrify the line between Huddersfield and Leeds. The plans were being put out for public consultation.
Route details
pre-paid tickets and concessionary fares are available between Leeds and Marsden. Transport for Greater Manchester fares are available for the Greenfield-Manchester section. Several of the intermediate stations listed were closed in the 1960s. All stations that are still open are in bold: ;Leeds–Huddersfield
*here is Dewsbury Junction with the L&YR. Trains from Wakefield join the Huddersfield line here, giving connections from the Pontefract, Hallam and Wakefield lines.
Mirfield L&YR junctions here to Low Moor and Halifax : the service from the Huddersfield Line operates to Brighouse
Heaton Lodge/Heckmondwike Junctions return the route to the ex-LNWR line
operate the majority of the passenger services over the line as it is the core line linking the North West with Yorkshire and the North East. Since privatisation in the 1990s, local services on the route have been operated by the Northern franchise. The first incarnation, Arriva Trains Northern, also operated the express services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York, Middlesbrough and Newcastle before the Strategic Rail Authority spun the express train services off into a separate franchise, which is now run by TransPennine Express. At the May 2018 timetable change, the Northern services calling at the smaller stations on the section between Greater Manchester and Huddersfield, were transferred to TPE and combined into an hourly to service. This also saw many of the TPE services diverted away from the to Manchester Piccadilly corridor, so that through trains could use the newly opened Ordsall Chord. However, Northern still operate local services from Huddersfield to Sheffield, Leeds and Wakefield. Due to the change of line on the through Manchester services, the Liverpool trains no longer run on the line through, but instead travel via. TPE provide six trains per hour in both directions between and Leeds;
to
Liverpool Lime Street to
to Newcastle
Manchester Airport to
Manchester Piccadilly to
Manchester Piccadilly to
Ale trail
Owing to a large number of easily accessed and nationally acclaimed pubs along the route, an "ale trail" along the route has become popular. Of particular interest are:
West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms
The Kings Head, formerly known as The Station Tavern, in the east wing of Huddersfield station
The Commercial, The Shoulder of Mutton and The Swan in Slaithwaite
Riverhead, Marsden
Station Buffet at Stalybridge
The Trail featured on the BBC Oz and James Drink to Britain programme and consequently became very popular for drinkers in Manchester and Leeds. This has prompted some concerns over anti-social behaviour in the villages along the Trail.
