Extra train stops for Marsden Jazz Festival

Posted on September 30, 2025 by admin

TransPennine Express will once again support the Marsden Jazz Festival by arranging for a number of services to call additionally at Marsden station during the festival weekend. Founded in 1992, Marsden Jazz Festival is one of the UK’s longest established jazz festivals. Each year, thousands of visitors travel by train, bus, car, and even narrowboat to experience the unique atmosphere the festival creates in the village. Over 60 volunteers support the event, which features a diverse line-up of musicians, from internationally acclaimed artists to talented local school bands and emerging talents.


To help festivalgoers travel more easily, TransPennine Express will be making additional stops at Marsden over the weekend. These are scheduled for:
• Friday 10th October: 17:30 – 22:00
• Saturday 11 October: 10:00 – 13:00 and 17:00 – 22:00
• Sunday 12 October: 10:00 – 13:00 and 17:00 – 22:00
Please go to Buy Train Tickets | Book Train Tickets | TransPennine Express for more information

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Weekend timetable changes, 4 & 5 October & weekday timetable changes 6 to 24 October

Posted on September 29, 2025 by admin

We know that we have only just come to the end of a month of bus replacement, but Huddersfield station and the route between Stalybridge and Deighton will be closed again next weekend (4/5 October) with bus replacement.

Then on weekdays from 6 to 24 October the route through Dewsbury will be closed, with trains to Leeds being diverted via Wakefield with changed and extended journey times.

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Huddersfield Station Closure and Rebuilding

Posted on September 29, 2025 by admin

The month long closure has come to an end, and Huddersfield station now has two through platforms plus the bay platform for the Penistone Line. The platforms have been renumbered, so the Penistone line platform is platform 1, the former platform 1 is platform 2, the former platform 4 is platform 3.

This will be the station layout for the next 14 months, until a further month long closure at the end of 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed). Meanwhile, the rest of the station (the former platforms 5-8 and beyond) will be rebuilt in a layout incorporating two through platforms and an east facing bay platform.

For the next 14 months, the additional peak stopping services from/to Manchester calling at Marsden and Slaithwaite will continue to/from Leeds. SMART would like through trains to Leeds to become a permanent feature of the timetable.

One service which will not operate for the next 14 months is the Huddersfield-Halifax-Bradford service. Any passengers from Huddersfield for Halifax and Bradford will need to use a replacement bus to Brighouse.

The service pattern for the next 14 months looks something like this.

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The End Of A Month Of Bus Replacement

Posted on September 29, 2025 by admin

We are now at the end of four weeks of bus replacement during the Huddersfield station closure.

It has been mostly reliable, but with just enough occasions when buses have gone off route, departed early or not turned up at all to undermine passenger confidence.

We have seen instances of Buses going up to Marsden and Slaithwaite stations, buses going on magical mystery tours of Hill Top.

Whilst things improved through the period of bus replacement, there has been plenty of time to get it right. There were about 20 weekends of bus replacement earlier in 2025, which should have given ample opportunity to identify and solve problems.

Everything we hear from passengers about buses not being at stops at or close to the appointed time reinforces the need for real time tracking of buses, something we have requested repeatedly over at least 18 months. We understand there are difficulties in providing this in a fragmented railway industry, but again there has been ample time to overcome those difficulties.

Compared to the number of passengers who use the trains, relatively few people used the buses. It is not surprising. If you can work from home instead of having a commute doubled in time, then you will.

The big advantage of the trains is the journey time. With rail replacement buses, that advantage is lost. The people who still used replacement buses are those who, for whatever reason, don’t have a better option available to them.

So far as the need for real time tracking is concerned, TPE are now acknowledging how useful it would have been to passengers. We hesitate to say we told you so, but ………… we told you so.

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