A public consultation on proposed improvements to the railway between Standedge and Gledholt in West Yorkshire has been extended to allow more time for interested parties in and around Huddersfield to provide feedback.

The consultation will now close on Friday, 24th April, which will give residents, businesses and stakeholders more time to examine and comment on the proposals.

In addition, there will be an extra public drop-in event on Saturday, 18th April, from 10 am to 1 pm at Marsden Mechanics in Peel Street, Marsden, Huddersfield, HD7 6BW.

Attending the drop-in event will be members of the project team, who will be available to answer questions and discuss the proposals in more detail.

Improvements to the line between Standedge and Gledholt are part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, in which the railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York is being modernised to allow faster, more frequent, and greener trains on a cleaner and more reliable railway.

The proposed work will allow operation of services through the area by electric trains, and includes improvements to Marsden and Slaithwaite stations, the reconstruction of a number of bridges and roads, and the installation of new track, signalling, cabling, and overhead line equipment.

It will be necessary to establish some temporary construction compounds so that the works can be completed safely and efficiently.

In order to carry out the scheme, it will be necessary to obtain a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO), which is a piece of legislation that must be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport, granting permission for Network Rail to proceed with the work.

Network Rail plans to submit its TWAO application to the Secretary of State later this year, after the consultation has closed and all feedback has been considered and taken into account.

A dedicated virtual consultation room has been established and can be accessed online here.