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A bridge built in 1900, replaced a year early, and nine days without trains between Leeds and York

Qurexa Editorial Team23 October 20265 min read 0 0
A bridge built in 1900, replaced a year early, and nine days without trains between Leeds and York

What happened

No trains will run on the main line between Leeds and York for nine days, from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. Buses are replacing them. The work is at Church Fenton, and it is the final phase of installing a replacement for the Common Lane railway bridge. The old bridge dates from 1900 to 1901 and has reached the end of its serviceable life. Two earlier weekends of work removed it. This nine-day closure is for installing the new structure. Trains will also not run between Leeds and York via Garforth. There is a second set of works overlapping. As part of an East Coast Main Line programme, trains between Darlington, York and Doncaster are replaced by buses on 24 and 25 October and again on 31 October and 1 November. That work covers track, drainage and overhead line renewal at several North Yorkshire locations. A direct rail replacement bus runs between Leeds and York, described by Network Rail as the quickest option during the closure. Local buses will also serve the stations that trains cannot call at, connecting to services that are still running.

Why this matters

This is one of the busiest stretches of railway in the north of England, and nine days includes a full working week. Weekend closures are an inconvenience. A nine-day closure changes how people get to work. The reason for the timing is the interesting part, and it is a genuinely good one. Network Rail inspections had expected the bridge to need replacing in 2027. The Transpennine Route Upgrade team is doing it a year early, because the existing structure is too low for the overhead line equipment needed to run electric trains. In other words, they could have replaced the bridge next year and then come back to do the wires afterwards. Instead they have brought one job forward so it only has to be done once. Adam Sellers, TRU senior sponsor, said: "We're now in the final phase of installing the new Common Lane bridge." Carl Harland, TRU Customer Lead for Northern, was more candid about the cost to passengers: "There never is an ideal time to close parts of the railway." He described the Church Fenton work as a key step towards the benefits of the upgrade between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.

What the evidence actually says

The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a long programme, and the figures give a sense of where it has got to. It is currently 25% electrified, with 70 worksites across a 70-mile route. It employs over 5,000 staff. Once complete, the aim is to halve time lost to delays, improve all 23 stations on the route, and open 15 extra freight paths. Those last two are worth noticing. Freight paths are slots for goods trains. More of them means more lorries' worth of freight can move by rail, which is the quiet part of upgrade projects that never makes the headlines. On the disruption itself, the honest picture is mixed. The direct Leeds to York bus is the fastest option, but a bus on the A64 in half-term traffic is not a train. Reports of the operator-level detail differ slightly, which is normal this close to the work, so the sensible move is to check National Rail Enquiries or your operator rather than relying on a news summary. What is clear is that Northern services between Leeds, Selby and Poppleton and York are not running, and that no TransPennine Express trains will run between Wakefield Kirkgate or Leeds and Northallerton on 24 and 25 October.

Practical advice

**Check your journey before you travel, every day of the closure.** Arrangements on 24 and 25 October are not identical to those on, say, 28 October, because the East Coast Main Line work only runs on the weekends. **Allow extra time.** Network Rail's own advice is to allow more time than usual, and this closure spans the end of October half term in many areas. **Use the direct Leeds to York bus if you are going city to city.** The local buses are for the intermediate stations and are slower by design. **If you need assistance,** book Passenger Assist through your operator in advance. Replacement buses vary in accessibility and advance notice lets staff arrange suitable transport. **If you have a medical appointment in either city,** ring ahead. Hospitals would far rather rearrange than record a missed appointment. **Order repeat prescriptions before Saturday** if your usual route to a pharmacy goes by train. Nine days is long enough to run out. **For help on the day,** the Network Rail national helpline is 03457 11 41 41, and National Rail Enquiries carries the live picture. TRU staff will be at stations to help during the works. **Driving instead? Expect company.** If you can travel outside the morning and evening peaks, do.

What to know

There are no trains between Leeds and York, including via Garforth, from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, with buses replacing them. The work at Church Fenton installs a replacement for the Common Lane bridge, built in 1900 to 1901, brought forward a year because the old structure is too low for electrification equipment. A direct Leeds to York bus is the quickest option; local buses serve intermediate stations. Separate East Coast Main Line work also replaces trains between Darlington, York and Doncaster on 24 to 25 October and 31 October to 1 November. Check before every journey and allow extra time. Sources: Network Rail Media Centre, "Buses to replace trains between Leeds and York for nine days to facilitate TRU improvement works", October 2026, https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/buses-to-replace-trains-between-leeds-and-york-for-nine-days-to-facilitate-tru-improvement-works; The Yorkshire Post, "Buses to replace trains between Leeds and York for nine days to assist Transpennine Route Upgrade improvement works", 22 October 2026, https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/transport/yorkshire-rail-travel-buses-to-replace-trains-between-leeds-and-york-for-nine-days-to-assist-transpennine-route-upgrade-improvement-works-9305151; National Rail Enquiries, https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/. This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. For anything about your own health or medicines, speak to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.

#Leeds#York#Transpennine Route Upgrade#rail replacement#Network Rail#electrification

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