Face to face consultations on the TransPennine Route Upgrade work have been cancelled amid the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.
With Government advice on isolation measures ramping up, Network Rail last week took the decision to cancel eight public events for residents in West Yorkshire, including four that were scheduled in the coming days.
But Network Rail said the second stage of the public consultation will continue, with people encouraged to provide feedback on proposals to upgrade the railway between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade.
The proposals, including all the information that would have been at public events, can still be viewed on Network Rail’s website.
Support services will also remain in place to provide feedback to residents remotely. More details have been provided on the website.
Transport for the North absolutely understands and welcomes the decision to cancel the face to face meetings in line with government advice to stay home, and also encouraged people to continue to engage with the consultation online.
In a statement, Transport for the North said: “We remain committed to securing the capacity, capability, reliability and journey time outputs for this scheme and ensuring that it is fully consistent with future plans for the network which include capacity and performance improvements at Leeds station and Central Manchester, HS2 and NPR”
This is the second stage of public consultation to improve the eight mile stretch of railway between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury), and will close on Friday, April 10. Network Rail said the first stage of consultation showed 85% of residents supported the upgrade.
In a statement Network Rail added: “The TransPennine Route Upgrade, is a vital railway upgrade which will see improvements to the route between York and Manchester via Leeds creating a modern and reliable railway with more seats for passengers and faster journeys, which better connect key towns and cities across the North.”