A £46.5 million light maintenance depot has opened at Hillhouse Sidings in Huddersfield as part of the ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade. The 175-year-old site has been redeveloped to support the maintenance, repair, and cleaning of Northern’s train fleet.
The facility operates around the clock, with five lines equipped to accommodate up to 24 carriages. Initial work focuses on diesel trains, with future capacity planned for electric and bi-mode fleets.
The opening marks a key milestone in the Transpennine Route Upgrade, a multi-billion-pound project to improve the 76-mile corridor between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York. The upgrades aim to deliver faster and more reliable rail services, as well as increase network resilience across the North.
Huddersfield station, also undergoing redevelopment as part of the programme, has recently reopened with three rebuilt and extended platforms. Further construction is scheduled to be completed by early 2027, allowing the station to handle longer trains with increased seating capacity.
Northern operates more than 2,600 services daily across over 500 stations in the North of England, making the new depot a significant addition to its maintenance infrastructure.
