A TRAIN station said to be one of the prettiest in the country is in the midst of a huge makeover.
Huddersfield Railway Station in West Yorkshire is used by more than 3.1million passengers a year.
And it is undergoing a £70million transformation which will include reconstructing the inside of the Grade-I listed station as well as extending three platforms.
The station – which was named last year by Lonely Planet as the third best in the country – opened in 1850 and was praised as being “the most splendid in England” by the former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman.
Inside, historical features such as the station’s historic tearoom are being renovated.
In fact, all 8,000 pieces of the tearoom are being restored and then brought back to the station to rebuild the tearoom in time for the station’s reopening next year.
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The station will get a new footbridge too and rail infrastructure to help boost power for the rail lines – with the 70mile stretch between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York expected to be fully electric by 2030.
Work on the station started back in November 2023, with an opening date set for February 2 next year.
Before then, the station will close a couple of times to allow works to be completed.
The station is currently closed until June 27 impacting services between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds and then a second closure will take place between Christmas Eve and February 1, 2027.
In addition to recognising the station’s period features and modern amenities, Lonely Planet stated: “Huddersfield also does something most towns don’t: it puts a great pub right inside the station.
“The Head of Steam serves Yorkshire ales in surroundings full of character.
“The station has some equally beautiful neighbors, including the Grade II-listed Britannia Buildings, designed by Sir William Tite.”
The station was even famously home to a cat, Felix, who even had a Sunday Times bestselling biography before passing away in 2023.