📋 Tender Overview
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (Tru) Is Marking National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (9-15 February) By Celebrating The Impact Being Made By Its Investment In Local Skills, Careers And Talent. Tru Will Deliver Faster, More Frequent Trains On A Greener, More Reliable Railway. With The Programme Firmly In Its Delivery Phase And Many Benefits Already Being Realised, It Will Shape The Future Of Rail Travel Across The North. Helping Make The Future A Reality Are Tru Apprentices: From Rail Engineers To Project Managers, And Data Analysts To Project Planners, They Play A Vital Role In TodayS Operations And Will Do So For Years To Come As They Develop Their Skills And Experience Within The Programme. TruS Apprentices Help Challenge The Norm, Bringing Fresh Thinking And Innovation. Tru Is Committed To Fostering An Environment Where EveryoneS Input Is Valued. The Programme Has Supported 455 Apprenticeships Since Its Inception, Placing It Comfortably On Track To Achieve Its Target Of 590 By The End Of Its Life Cycle - This Is In Line With A Key Part Of TruS Sustainability Strategy: Providing Northern Jobs, That Ensure Its Workforce Reflects The Rich Diversity Of The Communities It Serves. Of Those Total Apprenticeships, 307 Are Classed As New Starts, Meaning Their Role In Tru Is Their First Career Job. It Was A New Start For Alice Smith, 25 , Who Joined Tru As A Corporate Responsibility And Sustainability Apprentice In September 2023, After Moving To Leeds For University. Following A Successful Two And A Half Years, Alice Completed Her Apprenticeship And Is Now An Associate Sponsor For The Programme. Mohammed Patel, 25 , From Blackburn, Also Reflected On Kickstarting His Career In The Rail Industry Through A Planning Apprenticeship. There Have Been 86 Apprenticeships Classed As Upskills, Where Someone Already Working On The Programme Has Decided To Take An Apprenticeship Course To Develop Further. Karl Wilson , 39 , From Leeds, Joined Tru In November 2021 As A Social Value Coordinator. Six Months Later, He Started A Corporate Responsibility And Sustainability Apprenticeship And Has Now Achieved A Distinction. TruS Commitment To Apprenticeships And Northern Jobs Also Saw The Programme Play A Founding Role In The Planbee Rail Scheme, A Unique Higher Apprenticeship Programme Designed To Recruit And Develop The Next Generation Of Project Managers. The Initiative, Developed By Network Rail, Its Supply Chain Partners, Nsar And Gateshead College, Sees Apprentices Rotate Around Four Different Employers Across A Two-Year Programme, Giving Them Options To Work On A Variety Of Different Rail Projects Across The North. Tru Has Supported 22 Apprenticeships On The Planbee Rail Programme. David Bassett, Apprentice & Graduate Programmes Manager For Tru, Said: The Transpennine Route Upgrade (Tru) Is A Multi-Billion-Pound Railway Programme That Will Transform Journeys Across The North, Better Connecting Towns And Cities Like Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds And York. Tru Fast Facts Key Milestones To Date Passengers / Community Members Network Rail National Helpline 03457 11 41 41 Latest Travel Advice Please Visit National Rail Enquiries Journalists Henry Hughes Communications Manager Network Rail Henry.Hughes@Networkrail.Co.Uk We Own, Operate And Develop BritainS Railway Infrastructure; ThatS 20,000 Miles Of Track , 30,000 Bridges, Tunnels And Viaducts And The Thousands Of Signals , Level Crossings And Stations. We Run 20 Of The UkS Largest Stations While All The Others, Over 2,500, Are Run By The CountryS Train Operating Companies . Usually, There Are Almost Five Million Journeys Made In The Uk And Over 600 Freight Trains Run On The Network. People Depend On BritainS Railway For Their Daily Commute, To Visit Friends And Loved Ones And To Get Them Home Safe Every Day. Our Role Is To Deliver A Safe And Reliable Railway , So We Carefully Manage And Deliver Thousands Of Projects Every Year That Form Part Of The Multi-Billion Pound Railway Upgrade Plan , To Grow And Expand The NationS Railway Network To Respond To The Tremendous Growth And Demand The Railway Has Experienced - A Doubling Of Passenger Journeys Over The Past 20 Years. Follow Us On Twitter: @Networkrail Visit Our Online Newsroom: Www.Networkrailmediacentre.Co.Uk
