Transpennine Route Upgrade electrifies Church Fenton–York line

The section between Church Fenton and York (via Colton Junction) was electrified under the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU); the first electric passenger train ran on 3 August 2025, and completion was marked on 5 August 2025 with a visit from the UK Transport Secretary. In May 2021 the Department for Transport approved GBP 317 million to develop the programme and start early works, including this electrification (Railnews, 26.05.2021), within the wider TRU programme (Manchester–Huddersfield–Leeds–York) budgeted at roughly GBP 11 billion. This brings about 25% of the 70-mile Transpennine main line to electrified status, expected to cut journey times (e.g. York–Leeds by 10 minutes); once complete, the overall programme is expected to cut carbon emissions by up to 108,000 tonnes a year, according to Network Rail (Network Rail, 05.08.2025).